The Sacred Pantheon: Vol 1: Kanto
by Commander Kitsune
Summary: I thought that after I had attained the rank of Master and had risen to the top of that class, that my journey was at an end. That was before I met Ash Ketchum. Now I realize how much there is still left to do. SI. M for lemons. Future OC/Cynthia pairing.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

The Sacred Pantheon

∞ **Volume 1: Kanto ∞**

∞ **Book 1: Rookie ∞**

(AN: All story aspects, names and locations that aren't original from my hands doesn't belong to me. Plus this story is based on current [29/04/2012] knowledge. As such the new region Unova and its Pokémon will be involved in the story. All songs are the property of listed artists. All listed songs for each chapter are available online. See the link in my profile for details. This disclaimer will not be repeated.)

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

(Cue song Dark Sky by Ron Alan Cohen from Production Music Series Vol. 59 - Electric Emotions)

The Pokémon Centre in Viridian City wasn't busy at this time so most of the hallways were quiet. However one young man was sitting near the window that looked to the south towards Pallet Town. There was a thunderstorm at the moment and the man was looking out into the storm with fond interest.

The man looked quite young. Roughly 25 years old; though his boyish features made him look as young as 19. He had a large crop of spiky white hair with a long, thick, unplaited rats tail that extended down to his waist. The style made him look both wild and wise. His eyes only intensified this look as they were a deep and vibrant violet. His build showed off the fact that he had been through some tough training, however his muscles didn't look grotesque like. They were hard and compact, meant for speed and agility rather than strength and endurance.

He was clad in a pair of black, flowing pants, black muscle shirt and a white leather sleeveless vest. Next to him sat a large backpack. A pair of black boots was strapped to his feet and covering his hands were black fingerless leather gloves. On the back of the gloves was a print of a blue and purple flame.

Sitting on either side was a Ninetails Pokémon. They were both different from the usual Ninetails. The one on the right had red fur with its tails tipped with golden fur. Its eyes were a beautiful ruby red colour as well as its eyes were like a human's eyes, whites, irises and pupils in all. The Pokémon looked strong and elegant; the fur on its body smooth and very well looked after. Its tails were larger than the average Ninetails; long enough for one and a half of its body length. The one on the left looked exactly the same in how good it looked. However it had silver fur instead and its tails were also tipped with golden fur. The eyes though were an emerald green, the same design as the opposite Pokémon.

The young man's hands were both placed on both Pokémon and were scratching them both behind the ears. The Pokémon looked very pleased with this treatment.

"It sure has been a while since we've been in Viridian City, hasn't it guys," he before his attention was drawn to the distance. A large bolt of blue lightning shot out of the sky. The bolt seemed to freeze for a split second before a massive pillar of yellow electricity shot from the ground into the sky. A loud rumbling sounded in the distance.

"Woah! Nice one! Wonder how that happened?" said the man. Almost immediately after the display of power the storm cleared up. Shafts of afternoon sunlight filtered through the quickly disappearing clouds.

"Aw, the show's over already?" whined the young man. He leaned back and shut his eyes. "Oh well, might as well get some shut eye. Wake me up if anything happens," he said to his companions. They both nodded.

For what seemed like 10 minutes, however an hour had passed; the man woke up to a screeching sound. He quickly opened his eyes to see Officer Jenny's motorbike slide sideways across the foyer all the way to the front desk.

(Cue song The Dark Cloud Approaches by Hamaguchi Shirou from Ah! My Goddess TV OST 2)

"What in the hell…?" mumbled the man as he yawned.

"We have a driveway you know," said Joy looked slightly peeved at Jenny's actions.

"This is a Pokémon emergency!" said Jenny. Then the man noticed a boy who looked about 10, jump out of the sidecar with a Pikachu in his arms.

The boy was roughly 4'6" tall. He had black spiky hair that was mostly pressed down by an official Pokemon League hat. Only part of the fringe and the back part stuck out at odd angles. He had brown coloured eyes. His wardrobe consisted of a black t-shirt, a blue and white jacket, light blue jeans held up by a belt and black and white shoes. He also had strapped to his back a mid sized green backpack.

The Pikachu looked normal, maybe a little bigger than the average. It looked like it had been through the wringer. The boy didn't look much better either. There were smudges of dirt and scrapes all over the both of them.

"Please help it!" said the boy in a panicked voice. By the sound of it, his voice was on the verge of breaking from puberty.

"Looks like a Pikachu. We'll do what we can," said Nurse Joy. She typed information into the computer, ordering what she needed. "I need a stretcher for a small electric Pokémon, stat!"

Almost immediately two Chancys rolled in the stretcher and the Pikachu was placed gently on it.

"It'll be ok," assured Joy before she turned to the Chancys. "Rush this Pikachu to the critical care unit." And with that the small pokemon was wheeled out of the foyer towards the back rooms. Joy turned back to the kid. "We'll begin treatment right away." The boy looked uncertain. "Umm…" he looked like he wanted to say something more but Joy spoke ahead.

"Who are you?" she asked the boy.

It was Jenny who answered. "This is Ash and he's the Pokémon's trainer." The boy, Ash, then stepped forward slightly. "If there's anything I can do, please tell me."

Joy frowned. "You can be more responsible. If you want to become a Pokémon trainer you don't let it battle till it's in this condition."

"But you don't know what happened…" Ash started to say but Joy broke him off again.

"What's past is past. Now we have to heal your Pikachu."

Ash looked ashamed. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

Joy's expression softened as she realised that she was being too hard on the kid. "Just leave everything to me."

Ash looked at the ground. "Please."

Jenny saluted. "It's in your hands. I know you'll give the Pokémon excellent care."

"You got it here just in time."

"That's my job," smiled Jenny. She then looked as if she remembered something. "Oh my goodness, I left my bike parked in front of your desk."

Joy laughed. "Next time use the driveway," she reminded Jenny.

"Eh heh heh heh…" laughed Jenny sheepishly as she walked back to the desk.

"Ash you can wait out here in the foyer," said Joy as she walked through the doors.

"Can't I…" started Ash but the doors had already closed.

Ash then wandered over to the group of chairs where the man was siting. The man had been listening in. He looked at Ash as he sunk into one of the soft chairs, looking very down.

"Cheer up kiddo," he suggested. Ash looked up to see the man looking at him with sympathetic eyes. "Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and all you can do is plan for the fallout."

Ash sighed. "Yeah I know, but…"

(Cue song How You Feel by Fat Jon from Samurai Champloo OST - Departure)

The guy smiled. "I know how you feel. I guess I should introduce myself. My name's Josh Kitsuné," he said.

Ash smiled a bit. "I'm Ash Ketchum from the town of Pallet," he said. Josh smiled and stood up. He stuck his hand out. "Nice to meet you." Ash also stood up and shook Josh's hand. "Nice to meet you too." The two then sat back down again.

"So you're from Pallet Town, eh? That's a nice place to grow up in," Josh mused.

"You've been to Pallet before?" asked Ash.

"Yeah, a few years back when I stopped by Professor Oak's place," Josh answered.

"You know Professor Oak?"

"Of course. He's internationally famous for his research into Pokémon."

Ash's eyes widened slightly. "Wow. I didn't know he was so famous." He then noticed the two Ninetails by Josh's side. "Wow! What are those Pokémon?" He then brought out his PokeDEX and scanned them.

"Ninetails; the fox Pokémon, is the evolved form of the fire pokemon, Vulpix," was the explanation given by the PokeDEX.

Josh smiled. He then placed his hand on top of the red and gold one. "Her name is Vixey," he then placed his other hand on the silver and gold one. "And his name is Chrono." They both wagged their magnificent tails happily.

"Cool! You name your own Pokémon," said Ash. He then looked thoughtful. "Wonder if I should name my Pikachu?" he wondered.

"Sup to you. Some people like to name their Pokémon companions to become closer to them. But I've seen many close relationships with Pokémon who aren't named something other than their species name," Josh replied. "So Ash, have you just started on your Pokemon journey?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah; how did you know?"

"You have that greenhorn look in your eyes. Not much battling experience. About one to two days on the road?" Josh asked.

"I started this morning," Ash replied.

"This morning? But it usually takes about two to three days walking from Pallet to Viridian," I blinked in surprise.

"Well it's been a rough start."

Josh laughed. "I can see that. You look like you just had a run in with a flock of Spearow."

"Well, actually…" said Ash and he started to tell his tale. By the time he'd finished it was 8:00 PM.

"Wow! So that was _your_ Pikachu's Thundershock?" exclaimed Josh.

"Yeah, it was, although it probably wasn't very strong since most of it was from a lightning bolt that hit Pikachu." said Ash.

Josh shook his head. "I can agree to that, but there have been reports of electric Pokémon's powers increasing by ten fold after a lightning strike on them. The theory is that the lightning unlocks some sort of hidden power inside them. After this operation it's quite possible that your Pikachu will be quite powerful in its attacks." Ash looked like he had stars in his eyes. "Of course this is only speculation." Ash crashed to the floor.

"Hey why don't you call your parents? I'm sure they'll want to hear from you," suggested Josh as soon as Ash had picked himself off the ground.

"That's a good idea," he said and walked over to one of the video call phones. As the young man got up, his full height was revealed. He was roughly 5'11" tall.

After a few rings a female voice came through the speaker.

"Hello, this is the Ketchum residence,"

Ash paused a bit. "Uh… mom?" he said.

(Cue song Nocturne of Amestris ~Duet~ by Senju Akira from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Original Soundtrack 2)

There was a delighted squeal from the other end. "Ash, are you doing ok?" Then the video feed came on and on screen was a young woman in her 30's with dark red hair.

"Where are you Ash?" she asked.

"The Pokémon Centre in Viridian City," answered Ash.

"You're already in Viridian City? It took your father four days to get there when he started Pokémon training. Oh he'll be so proud of you. You're the apple of his eye!"

Unfortunately it seemed that Ash had not gotten over his guilt about Pikachu. "Yeah a rotten apple," he said in a gloomy voice.

"Oh Ash, don't get discouraged. You're doing fine. You're growing up right before my eyes, speeding your wings and soaring like a Spearow!" Josh winced as that wouldn't be the right thing to say to Ash right now.

"I feel like a fallen Pidgey," said Ash with even more angst into his words.

"I won't let you talk about yourself like this!" said Mrs. Ketchum in an angry voice. "Just be confident. You have to believe in yourself. Do you understand?"

"Yes,"

"And are you changing your underwear everyday?"

"Yes,"

"Ok, goodnight son. I love you."

"Me too mum, bye," and with that Ash hung up.

Josh placed his hand onto Ash's shoulder. "Feel better now?" he asked. Ash turned to him and nodded. He then spotted a mural behind Nurse Joy's desk.

(Cue song Distant Thunder by Junichi Nakatsuru from SoulCalibur IV OST)

"Hey, what's that?" asked Ash. Josh turned and the two walked over so they were directly facing the mural.

"Hmm, looks like a mural of some of the legendary Pokémon," Josh replied.

"Legendary Pokémon?"

"That's right. Along with Pokémon like Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, there are Pokémon that have supreme control over their element. For example, see that one in the upper left corner? That one is called Moltres. And it's vastly superior to a Charizard. That is one of the reasons why they are called Legendary Pokémon. Another is that they are very rare and very hard to find."

"I see," said Ash thoughtfully. Suddenly Joy's video phone started to ring. Ash went to pick it up.

"Uh… this is Ash… who is calling?"

(Cue song Constructor's Blues by Mitsutoshi Sato from Gran Turismo 5 Prologue OST)

"Here! I'm over here," said a familiar voice from behind him. Ash turned around to see the lower right panel slide downwards to reveal a screen. And on the screen was Professor Oak; however it seemed that he'd gotten the wrong camera as only the back of his head was visible.

"It's me, Professor Oak, don't you recognise me?"

"No Professor. I wouldn't recognise the back of your head."

Oak looked around. "Opps, wrong picture." There was a bit of static before his face appeared. "There, *ahem*, I just spoke with your mother and she's just told me that you made it to the Pokémon centre in Viridian city, is that correct?"

"I couldn't be talking to you if I wasn't Professor," said Ash.

"I couldn't be talking to you if… Oh! I see! I dialled the Pokémon centre in Viridian city and you were able to answer," said the Professor.

"Yeah, because that's where I am."

"Mmm, I guess that proves it."

"Getting senile in your old age Sam?" questioned Josh sarcastically as he stepped into the hidden camera's view.

"Is that you Josh?" exclaimed Oak.

"The one an' only."

"Well this is a treat. How is your journey going? Did you find what you were looking for?" asked Professor Oak excitedly. Josh opened his mouth to answer but closed it when he realised that Ash was in the room. The professor seemed to notice Josh's discomfort.

"Don't worry Josh. I've known Ash for a long time. He won't tell anyone. I'll stake my reputation on that."

Josh looked shocked. He turned to Ash. "Well Ash, it seems that Sam really trusts you. So I'll trust you too. But you have to promise me that what I'll say stay's between you, me and the Professor. If certain people knew what I know... well, they would be on my ass for the rest of my life."

Ash looked a little nervous but nodded all the same.

"Well it seems like Giovanni is up to something, but we don't know exactly what it is. We're currently gathering more information, but it's unlikely we'll turn up anything for at least a couple of weeks. In other news I befriended two legendary Pokémon since last we met," Josh reported.

"Ohhh! You must send them over so I can study them!" said the Professor as if it was Christmas.

"Let me think about that… I'm gonna go with noooooo. You know the rules I laid out seven years ago Sam," said Josh with a slight grin on his face.

Oak sighed heavily. "Yeah, I know. Well at least the twins are looking well." Vixey and Chrono both raised a paw and waved at the professor.

Ash was looking back and forward between the two. "Hey, isn't anyone going to explain this to me?" he said.

"I'll tell you later. I can't tell you inside a public area. Sorry," apologised Josh. Ash pouted but didn't say anymore.

"Well I had my doubts that you could handle your Pikachu," said Oak to Ash. "But, when my grandson said that you wouldn't have a new Pokémon by the time that you got to Viridian city, I bet him a million dollars that he'd be wrong!"

It was at this point that Ash sweatdropped. "Well money isn't everything right?"

Josh started laughing at the Professor's crestfallen face. "You still suck at gambling Sam."

"But I did see a flying Pokémon like that one," said Ash as he pointed to the mural above the screen. "It flew right over the rainbow."

The professor was looking up as well as it seemed that he also had the same mural. Either that or he hacked into the video security system that showed the mural here and was looking at it in an alternate screen.

"Don't be silly. You couldn't have seen this Pokémon. Trainers have searched their whole lives and never seen it," said Professor Oak, who obviously didn't believe him.

"Well it sure looked like it," said Ash as he took another look at the mural.

"You must've been mistaken," The professor's words were cut short as his doorbell just rang. "Ah there's my pizza, COMING!" the Professor than exited the screen, but he popped back again. "It was very nice talking to you Ash and to you as well Josh. Keep me posted on anything you find out. Good luck you two." He then moved away, but the live feed was still online long enough to tell what pizza the professor had ordered. "Mmmm, anchovies, spinach and pineapple pizza." The feed was then cut.

Josh made a retching sound to show his opinion at the professor's choice of toppings, to which Ash laughed a bit.

"I know what I saw," he said stubbornly.

"I'm inclined to agree with Sam on this one. It's very unlikely for an Articuno to fly into warm areas like grasslands by choice. Unless…" Josh broke off when he pulled out his PokeDEX which looked more advanced than the original. (Design is the PokeDEX for the Sinnoh area. Colour scheme is black and gold) He pressed a few buttons and then showed it to Ash. It showed a beautiful large blue bird with ribbon like tail feathers and red eyes. Its body was a sky-blue, growing lighter on its chest and belly. The most distinctive feature were its large wings, which looked like they were made of ice.

"Is this the pokemon you saw?" asked Josh.

Ash shook his head as soon as Josh asked the question. Josh then pressed a few more buttons and again showed it to Ash. This picture showed another large bird pokemon, however this was more magnificent than Articuno. It was a phoenix-like bird with gold and red being its dominant colours. It had yellow tail-feathers, a white underside, and green feathers at the tip of its wings. Ash nodded his head.

"Yes, that's the one!"

"Wow, you actually saw Ho-Oh!" exclaimed Josh in wonder.

"Ho-Oh?" questioned Ash.

(Cue song Chuu Ichi Danshi Buin by WATABE Chieru from Prince of Tennis Original Soundtrack 1)

But before they could talk further they were interrupted by a girl. She was as tall as Ash, roughly 4'6". She had bright orange, shoulder length hair that was tied into a ponytail on the left side of her head with a green hair tie. She also had sea green eyes. She was wearing a yellow sleeveless top and a pair of sea green short jean shorts that were held up by a pair of red straps instead of a belt. The straps went over her shoulders. She wore a pair of red and white sneakers and was shouldering a red draw string bag.

She was panting slightly and over her shoulder was a bike. However, it was difficult to discern whether it was one or not. The bike had been incinerated by what looked like intense flash fire. The whole thing was brown and was twisted and bent and in places it looked like the metal had melted slightly.

"I knew I'd find you here!" yelled the girl.

"Hey! What happened to your bike?" asked Ash.

"What happened to my bike? You happened to my bike you little loser! This is what's left after you stole it to save your Pokémon!" the girl continued to yell at Ash. She stepped up to the desk. "Now I can see why your Pokémon is in the… woah, woah, waaah!" at this point she started to wobble as the bike fell back, taking her with it. They both crashed to the ground.

"Whoa!" said Ash before he ran around the desk to the girl. "Let me help you." He reached down but the girl smacked his hand away. "I don't need your help. And you're going to pay for what you did to my bike!"

"I will make up for it. I promise I will," said Ash as he tried to pacify the enraged young girl. "But I can't do anything about your bike until…"

"Ahhh! I don't want your lame excuses, I just want a new bike right now!" growled the girl putting on quite a scary face.

(Cue music silence)

"It's my Pikachu…" Ash turned to the side, toward the room where the little electric pokemon was being treated. "My Pikachu's not too good."

The girl's expression totally softened and looked concerned. Josh was silent and the twin Ninetails had their heads bowed slightly. Ash continued to look at the set of electric sliding doors worriedly. The red light above the doors was still on, indicating that the treatment was still going on.

"Is it very serious?" asked the girl softly.

"I think so. And there's nothing I can do to help now…" Ash trailed off.

Then there was a soft ding sound as the light turned off and the doors opened to show Nurse Joy and the two Chancys pushing Pikachu's stretcher out with the pokemon on top. He was wired to some sort of equipment. A headband with a light attached to it that blinked on and off; showing the steady pulses of Pikachu's electric powers.

The three humans and two Pokémon rushed over to hear the good news.

"Pikachu, are you alright?" asked Ash, but there was no response. However Joy rested their fears.

"Your Pikachu's resting. It's a good thing you got it here so quickly. The procedure went well, and it should be fine."

"Thanks to the Pokémon Centre," said the girl.

"Yes, thank you very much," thanked Ash.

"Nice save there Joy," Josh nodded.

"Your Pokémon needs a good rest in the recovery room," said Joy. She smiled a kind smile to Ash. "You should go in with it Ash."

"Thanks," said Ash. He then turned his head to the girl. "Listen, I'm sorry about your bike but I'm going to need time to pay you back."

"No way! I fell for that last time!" said the girl, referring to when she softened after hearing about Pikachu. "Well, you should take care of Pikachu first, and then we'll settle up on the bike."

"Uhh… ok," said Ash, a bit intimidated by this tomboy. More would be said, but right then an alarm sounded through the loudspeaker that was connected with the police station. It seemed that Officer Jenny was going to make an announcement.

'Come to think of it, Jenny said something earlier on today. Something about pokemon thieves…' thought Josh.

(Cue song Brand of Vows by Naoshi Mizuta from Final Fantasy XIII-2 Original Soundtrack)

"Your attention please! Our Viridian City radar censors have detected an aircraft belonging to a gang of Pokémon thieves. If you have a Pokémon with you, exercise extreme caution!"

"Well, we'd better get ready just in case it's us," said Josh. He turned to the two Ninetails. "Vixey, Chrono, keep your eyes and ears open for anything suspicious."

"You got it!" came a rich young woman's voice from Vixey and a young man's voice that came from Chrono. (Note: Chrono's voice is Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya' and the voice of Vixey is Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf')

Ash, the girl and Nurse Joy's eyes and mouths opened widely. "Th-th-th-they can talk?" they all said at the same time.

Josh turned to them and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, all of my companions can talk. I don't know how but they do," Josh explained.

"Boss, we've got incoming from above!" said Chrono with a nod from Vixey.

Josh turned his head upwards to see two Pokeballs slam through a glass skylight and land on the ground, releasing whatever was inside. One was a Koffing and the other was an Ekans. The Koffing spewed a thick smokescreen and soon no-one could see five feet in front of themselves. It was a few seconds that two figures could be seen through the smoke.

"What are… who are they?" asked Ash.

"Don't be frightened, little boy," came a woman's voice.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," said a young man's voice. All of a sudden, dramatic music sounded from out of no-where.

(AN: I think I should give them proper dramatic music, just this once. So Cue Song: Violent Quake from Sengoku BASARA 3: Samurai Heroes OST)

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie," said the young woman.

"James," said the young man.

"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

And then a Meowth dropped down in front and said, "Meowth, that's right!"

Ash looked totally clueless to what they were saying, since it was almost the exact opposite of what bad guys would normally say. "What are you talking about?"

"He just doesn't get it, does he?" said Jessie. She was dressed in a tight top that showed off her generous bust and a very short skirt. She had thigh high black boots. The colour of her clothes was a faint grey but on the shirt was a big red R. Her hair was long and was slicked to the side in a long curl. The colour was a bright magenta. Her eyes were blue.

"How can I? You don't make any sense?" asked Ash.

"We're here for the Pokémon," declared James. He was decked out in a shirt and full length pants. The colour was the same as Jessie's. His hair was neck length and was a bright greyish blue. He had green eyes. Like Jessie, he also had a bright red R on the shirt.

"James? Is that you?" asked Josh in confusion.

James peered closer at Josh before he gave a start of surprise. "Josh?" he asked back.

"Yeah! How ya been? I see you joined Team Rocket. Figures," Josh asked.

"I've been great. Never felt freer from my parents," replied James with a smile.

"I bet. And Jessebelle too I reckon," Josh grinned.

"James, you know this kid?" asked Jessie. James nodded.

"Oh yes. He visited my house once when I was still living there. We became instant friends and after he left we stayed in touch," he explained.

"Huh," said Meowth.

"Well since you're in Team Rocket, you know what this means, right?" Josh said sadly.

James sighed, also sadly. "I guess so," he said before Josh sprang into action.

(Cue song OPENING -DW PRIME MIX- by Toru Hasebe from Dynasty Warriors 6 OST. Played once)

"Vixey, Chrono! You know what to do!" ordered Josh. The two Ninetails charged towards Team Rocket's Pokémon. While this was happening Josh turned to the others.

"Don't worry guys. I'll take care of these three," assured Josh. Ash, the girl and Nurse Joy all nodded and moved a safe distance away.

Vixey slammed hard into Ekans while Chrono dodged an attack from Koffing. Chrono whipped his tails into Koffing causing it to spin. He then charged forward with incredible speed and bashed Koffing across the room and into James, knocking the Pokémon out.

"Sorry!" Josh called to James.

Vixey was fending off quite well against the snake. Vixey let off a powerful flamethrower, but Ekans slithered around the flames. Ekans struck forward in a Bite attack but Vixey ducked under the move and pushed Ekans into the air. Vixey let forward another flamethrower attack and this one struck home. Ekans was pushed all the way back to where Jessie was standing.

"You little brat! You'll pay for that!" screeched Jessie.

"You've gotten stronger I see," observed James thoughtfully.

Meowth then started moving toward Chrono. "Seems like I gotta take care of the trash."

Josh grinned. "Vixey, Chrono! Use Firestorm!"

Vixey and Chrono both started to glow yellow. They then blasted a strong Fire Spin attack. The attacks merged and collided into Team Rocket. A massive tornado of fire exploded out and smashed through the broken skylight carrying Team Rocket with it. They could be seen spinning round and round until they were flung out of the fire tornado and into the sky.

The twins walked over to Josh and he patted them both on the head affectionately. "We kicked ass!" said Chrono. Josh smiled and hugged both the pokemon. "You sure did! Good work you two."

Ash, the girl and Joy were blown away at the display of power shown in the battle from the two Ninetails. "That was so awesome!" yelled Ash after he recovered from his shock.

"Wow! You're really strong!" said the girl.

"Thanks guys! I'm just glad that we were able to stop those three before they did any damage," said Josh as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Though I wish I didn't have to do that to James though," he added sombrely.

"Yeah. He was a good friend," said Vixey with Chrono nodding in agreement.

"Well, now that that's over with, why don't you three get some sleep," suggested Nurse Joy. "Ash, you can sleep next to Pikachu if you want."

Ash nodded. "I'd like that, thanks."

As Ash was led to the recovering room with Pikachu and Joy, Josh and the girl was led to the dorms. Opening one of the rooms in the hallway showed a simple room with two bunk beds meant to house 4 people.

Josh turned to the girl as she removed her bag and placed it at the end of one of the beds. "By the way, what's your name?" he asked.

The girl turned to face Josh and smiled. "Misty is my name," she introduced.

"My name's Josh Kitsuné. Nice to meet you Misty," smiled Josh.

"Nice to meet you too, Josh," replied Misty.

Josh and Misty then slipped into their respective beds. However, Vixey and Chrono both snuggled up to Josh. After a few seconds of wriggling around, Josh's head was resting against Vixey's body with her tails curled around Josh. Chrono was positioned on the other side of Josh with his tails draped over his legs. Just before he drifted off to sleep, he mumbled, "Night Vixey, Chrono…" and he wrapped his arms around both Pokémon.

(Cue song Good Night by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy X OST: Disc 1)


	2. Chapter 2: Viridian Forest

Legend: "aaaaaa" is normal speaking  
'aaaaaa' is thought speaking  
_"aaaaa"_ is translated Pokémon language through Vixey or Chrono

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'

**Chapter 2: Viridian Forest**

(Cue song Life Is On You by Kenji Fujii; Suble from Devil May Cry: The Animated Series OST)

I woke up with a very nice familiar feeling of fur resting against my head. I opened my eyes to see Vixey looking back at me, her eyes soft and kind. I smiled sleepily.

"How long have you been watching me sleep?' I asked. The fox Pokémon laughed. "Only a few minutes," she replied. She rubbed her furry face against mine in affection and I brought my hand across to rub the base of her ears. She closed her eyes in pleasure and continued for a minute or two before she reluctantly moved off the bed. As I sat up I saw that Chrono wasn't up yet.

I checked my watch and saw that it was 7:00 in the morning. "Time to get up," I mumbled to myself. I then started shaking Chrono awake.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty, wakey wakey," I said as I continued to shake him softly. He rolled over slightly and mumbled, "Five more minutes…"

"But it's 7:00 AM," I said. Seven in the morning was always the time we got up. However Chrono just opened one sleepy eye to look at me. "Exactly," he groaned out before opening both eyes, yawned and started stretching himself. "Why can't we sleep in for once?" he asked, punctuated by a second yawn.

"We did plenty of sleeping in three days ago," replied Vixey.

"But I meant every day, not just the one off time," Chrono complained.

"Come on you two. It's time for your daily brush," I said, knowing this would get a reaction out of Chrono. I was right as both Ninetails perked up at this and started to swish their tails at a quicker tempo. "Yeah, that's what I thought," I grinned.

"Oh shut up. You know I like me some pampering," he replied.

"That I do," I chuckled. I looked over to where Misty had slept and saw that she had gotten up already. As we walked out of the dorm and back into the foyer, I noticed that she was sitting in one of the chairs near the window.

"Good morning Misty," I greeted her. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Morning Josh. Sleep well?" she asked with a hint of amusement.

I was a little confused at her tone of voice. "Yeah… I did. Why?"

"I'm just surprised that you could sleep at all with so much hair around you," she said.

"Ah," I replied, realising what she was talking about. "Well I can't explain what it feels like. You just need to experience it for yourself," I replied.

She just shrugged her shoulders and went back to looking out the window. Meanwhile I fished out a brush and started combing Vixey first, then Chrono. Both Pokémon really enjoyed the treatment and were swishing their tails like there was no tomorrow, except when I was brushing their tails. By the time I was done it was 8:30.

"Isn't Ash awake yet?" I asked. Before I could get an answer however, Ash with his Pikachu just walked through the doors.

"Morning Ash," I said to him.

"Morning Josh," he greeted back. His Pikachu looked up at Ash. "Pika?" he said in a questioning tone.

"Oh Pikachu, this is my new friend, Josh. And the two Ninetails are Vixey and Chrono," Ash introduced. The little Pokémon looked at all three of us and waved. "Pikachu," he said in greeting.

"Nice to meet you too," answered Vixey.

"Same here," added Chrono. Ash and Misty looked confused slightly so I explained. "Since all my Pokémon can talk, they can translate what other Pokémon say. It's a handy skill to have." The two Pokémon trainers didn't look confused anymore. "Cool," said Ash.

"Oh, by the way, this is Misty," I said to Ash while pointing at the orange haired girl. I then looked at Misty. "Misty, this is Ash Ketchum from the town of Pallet." The two looked like some past had happened between them. I then remembered that it was Misty's bike that got all but obliterated by Pikachu's mega enhanced Thundershock.

"Would you mind if we stuck around with you?" I asked.

"We?" he asked.

"We, as, in me, Vixey and Chrono; unless Misty decides to join us," I said, wondering if Misty really wanted to come along.

"I'm sticking around until you pay me for my bike Ash Ketchum!" she said in a voice that left no room for argument.

-] Two hours later in the Viridian Forest [-

A scream pierced the forest as Misty freaked out yet again. Chrono was getting fed up. "Man, isn't there a mute button on her somewhere? My ears are bleeding, I swear!"

Misty clamped onto my back. "What's the matter now?" I asked.

"Look over there," she whimpered, though she didn't bother to point. However it was easy to spot the Pokémon that had just made an appearance. Ash and I looked to see a Caterpie.

"Cool it's a Caterpie! It's one of the bug Pokémon," said Ash.

"Even if it is a Pokémon, bugs are disgusting and I don't like them! Do something!" she insisted, totally creped out.

"Well, everyone has a phobia of something," I sighed.

(Cue song LOOK ALIVE! by Michihiko Shichi from Dynasty Warriors 4 OST)

"Alright, I got this!" said Ash. He drew out one of the 5 spare Pokeballs he had and enlarged it. He stood poised to strike for a few seconds.

"Just throw it already!" Chrono interjected this tense moment and I slapped my hand to my face. Sometimes Chrono could be so damn impatient.

Ash then positioned his cap backwards and threw the ball at the Pokémon.

"Pokeball, go!"

The ball spun in the air towards the small Pokémon, which did nothing to get out of the way. I wondered if the little critter wanted to be captured. The Pokeball hit the Caterpie and opened up. Then the Pokémon dissolved into red energy and was sucked into the open Pokeball. After this process had finished, which took about one full second, the Pokeball clamped shut. However the button on the front of the ball glowed red and the ball jiggled around as if the Pokémon was struggling against its new home. This little fight didn't last long and after 15 seconds the red light faded and the Pokeball stopped moving. There was also a soft dinging sound telling us that the capture had been successful.

Ash's face had been focused during the whole process. However when the Pokémon had been caught his face started to crumble. First there was an eye twitch, which was followed by a small smile. Then his face looked like he was holding in intense happiness. He finally bust with a yell of "Yes! I did it!" and rushed to his new Pokémon.

(Cue song I Said I'm Naruto by Toshiro Masuda from Naruto Original Soundtrack I)

He picked up the Pokeball and went into a pose. "I did it! I got Caterpie!" He then started running around as if Christmas had come early. "I caught it myself! I caught my first Pokémon. This is the first step on my way to becoming the greatest Pokémon Master in the whole world!"

Misty shot him an annoyed look as Ash leaned on her shoulder with a big grin on his face, but I just had an amused expression on. I'm sure Vixey and Chrono had the same face on. Well, maybe Chrono was beating his head against something hard.

Ash then grabbed Misty's arm and dragged her while running around in a circle. Pikachu was following them around with his eyes but eventually he got dizzy and fell backwards.

"Ok Ash, I'm glad that you got a new Pokémon and all but I think you should calm down," I suggested.

"But I'm just so happy!" said Ash, but he did stop and let go of poor Misty.

(Cue song Dodo Dance by Sagisu Shiro from BLEACH Original Soundtrack II)

"Ash, you're acting like a…" Misty didn't get a chance to finish as Ash held the Pokeball near her face. She almost freaked out again.

"Look, inside this ball is the very first Pokémon I ever caught in my whole entire life," said Ash. Misty however, was not impressed. She brought her hands up in between the Pokeball and her face.

"Just keep it away from me will ya?" she said in a slightly panicked voice.

"You're not afraid of an iddy biddy Caterpie in a Pokeball, are you?" asked Ash in slight amusement and he pressed the ball closer.

"Bugs get me all bugged out! Even when they're in a Pokeball. Just keep it away!" yelled Misty and she turned around and stayed like that.

"I like bugs even when they're not in Pokeballs," stated Ash. "It must be great for Caterpie inside the pokeball, all cute and comfortable inside there." He then started rubbing his face against the ball and a stupid loving grin strapped itself onto his face. "I love my new little Pokémon!"

I looked slightly disgusted at this scene. Misty looked disgusted too and it looked like she was going to make a comment on this but Chrono beat her to it.

"I guess it takes a worm to love a worm! Ha ha ha!" said Chrono as he laughed with mirth. He was cut short as Vixey whacked her tails upside his head.

"OW! Damn Vi! What was that for?" asked Chrono angrily. Vixey smirked. "That was for being rude to our new friend," she said.

"But he asked for it. He shouldn't be so bloody overdramatic about capturing a Pokémon, and a Caterpie at that!" reasoned Chrono. "If he caught a Lucario, or some sort of Legendary, then he can get all excited."

"C'mon Chrono, let him celebrate. It is his first capture after all," I reasoned. Chrono scoffed softly and looked away. "Pssh! Catch a Mew. Then I'll be impressed," he muttered.

"Remember how excited you were at Josh's first capture?" Vixey asked.

"You swore never to mention that again!" the male Ninetails hissed at his sister. She simply smirked victoriously.

(Cue song Heavenly Spirit by Michiru Oshima from Full Metal Alchemist Original Soundtrack 1)

At that point Ash seemed to remember his other Pokémon and looked around slightly. Catching sight of it lying down, still a bit dizzy, he ran over. "Pikachu!" he called, making him blink slightly before getting up. Ash held out the pokeball to him. "This is our new friend," Ash explained. Pikachu sniffed the ball a bit before reacting. "Pika!" he said, excited at the prospect of having a new friend. Ash smiled. "Oh Pikachu, I'm glad you like it. And…" He stood up, pumped and full of confidence, "We'll catch a whole bunch of new friends! Caterpie, you're sticking with us."

Misty flinched before turning around slowly. "Does that mean…?"

Apparently it did as Ash threw the pokeball into the air. "Caterpie, come out!" Misty didn't wait for the Pokémon to materialise as she bolted across the clearing and hid behind a random tree. Meanwhile the Pokémon was now out. Misty poked her head out from behind the tree, whimpering.

"Wow, if I didn't know any better I'd say she just used ExtreemSpeed," I mumbled.

"There's nothing to be scared about," Ash reasoned as he walked over to Caterpie. He reached down and held out his hand. "C'mon Caterpie, climb onto my shoulder," he offered. The Pokémon nodded and was just about to when it caught sight of Misty peeking out. Instantly it ploughed passed Ash and me, heading straight for Misty.

"Hey Caterpie! Come back!" called Ash, but it was no use. And judging by the scream from Misty, Caterpie had reached its destination. It instantly started rubbing up against her leg, clearly liking her.

Ash, my Pokémon and I had walked up to Misty by now to get a good look at what was going on. "Hey Misty, Caterpie really likes you. Isn't that cute?" said Ash. Misty sunk to her knees. "Get this disgusting bug away from me!"

Caterpie rose up on its tail as if questioning Misty. "Please… don't…" said Misty before she backed away quickly. "Don't come any closer to me!" she finished in quick succession.

"You think Caterpie is disgusting?" asked Ash. The Pokémon in question hung its head, probably realising what Misty said. Pikachu patted it on the back, trying to get it to feel better. This was interrupted with Misty picking up Pikachu.

"I know! You be friends with that creepy bug and I'll be friends with Pikachu," she reasoned.

Ash closed his eyes and smirked. "Pikachu only likes me and zaps anyone who tries to…"

"Um, Ash?" I said.

Ash turned to me. "Yeah, what is it?" I simply pointed past him. He turned around to greet the sight of Pikachu clearly enjoying the petting it was receiving from Misty at the moment. I, Vixey and Chrono sniggered slightly at this.

"Piikaachuuuu…" Ash hissed while glaring at the little traitor.

Misty stopped in her petting as she realised someone was looking at her. She turned her eyes to Caterpie, who currently had the sad puppy dog eyes. "It's so grouse. ASH PUT THAT SLIMY THING BACK INTO THE POKEBALL!" she yelled. "Bugs are one of the three most disgusting things in the world!"

"What would the other two be?" asked Chrono.

"Aside from you," added Ash softly. But Misty heard him.

"Very funny." She stood up and made an intense kick motion as if she were kicking something she really disliked. "Carrots!" She then uppercut something imaginary. "Peppers!" She then actually summoned a giant hammer out of Hammerspace and swung it around. "And bugs! Everyone has something they don't like and I DON'T LIKE BUGS!"

"I swear, that ability is universal for all females," I groaned softly.

"Yeah? Well I like carrots and peppers and bugs," countered Ash while making a face. "What I don't like is the way you're hurting Caterpie's feelings with your silly fear of bugs." The girl continued to be stubborn and turned her head away.

"I don't like peppers," I said quietly. "And to be brutally honest, I'm not a big fan of bugs either."

"See? Even Josh doesn't like bugs," Misty said quickly, pointing at me.

"But I tolerate them. I wouldn't go out of my way to catch one, but I'm indifferent to them," I refined.

Ash turned back to the Pokémon. "I don't think your ugly or disgusting at all Caterpie. C'mon, climb onto my shoulder." Caterpie nodded but looked at Pikachu. He nodded back. "You're not going to scare Misty anymore," added Ash. Caterpie then proceeded to climb up onto Ash's shoulder.

"What do you mean it's not going to scare me anymore?" asked Misty.

"We'll go on without her," answered Ash, sounding his answer as if he were talking to Caterpie. He then began to walk off. Pikachu jumped out of Misty's lap and followed him. I looked at Misty. "Sorry," I shrugged before Vixey, Chrono and I followed Ash.

(Cue song Forbidden Fruit by Naoki Sato from Eureka seveN OST 1 Disc 1)

Fifteen minutes later Chrono and Vixey's ears twitched. I noticed this, but knew what it was all about. "How many times has she slipped up?" I asked.

"51 times. She's not all that bad at stealth really. With some training, she'd be a reasonable ninja," Vixey complemented her.

"She'd have to cover up her orange hair first. That's a colour worse than yours boss," Chrono said. I gave him a flat look. "I-I meant that white is more stealthy then orange is," he added quickly.

"Smooth brother," Vixey muttered, shaking her head.

"Pika pi!" said Pikachu. Seems he also discovered our stalker. Ash turned to his Pokémon. "What is it Pikachu?"

Pikachu pointed behind us and we all looked back. Misty realised she had been seen and tried to hide behind a tree. But she was half a second too slow.

"What are you following us for?" called Ash.

She poked her head out. "M-my bike! I'm holding you responsible for my bike," she stuttered.

"When are you going to get over that dumb old bike?" Ash asked, slightly exasperated.

"For your information Mr. Pokémon Master, you're the dumb one because if you hadn't destroyed it in the first place, I could have ridden out of here by now!"

"I told you I'd make good on your bike one day AND if I'm so dumb how come _you're_ still FOLLOWING ME!"

"I'm not following you, this happens to be the fastest way through the forest!"

"Fine! Do whatever you want," Ash said, turning around once again and walking away. As we followed, Misty's voice followed us.

"That's exactly what I'm doing!"

"You can't pay for entertainment like this," Chrono grinned widely.

(Cue song Auriel's Ascension by Jeremy Soule from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Original Soundtrack)

The six of us, Ash, Pikachu, Caterpie, Chrono, Vixey and I had set up camp for the night. A small fire was burning brightly and Ash was getting ready for bed. I was also in my sleeping bag but had decided to stay up for a little while longer. I had in my hands a computer tablet and was typing in worlds slowly.

Vixey laid down next to me and looked at the tablet. "How is your latest song coming along?" she questioned. "The usual," I answered. "They still just pop into my head. Dia did say my head was like a radio dish, after all. Still, it's hard to believe that these songs come from alternate realities."

"Well Dia was the one who said it. So I'm sure it's true," Vixey assured.

"Mmm. This'll be one for Sora to sing I reckon," I mussed.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Ash.

"I'm just writing down a song on my computer tablet. I'm a singer and song writer. It's my job." I answered. Ash's eyes widened. "Cool. Have you done any other songs?"

I nodded. "You know 'Aim to be a Pokémon Master'?" I watched as Ash's eyes widened even more. "Wow! Did you really write and sing that song?" he asked. Again, I nodded.

"That is so awesome! I grew up with that song! Then you must be GOM? The Pokémon Band?" I nodded. "That's right. I am the lead singer in Guardians of Music. We haven't performed a concert for a while but we recently decided to tour Kanto this year. We're performing at Safron City in a few months."

Ash grinned excitedly. "So cool! I can't believe my luck to run into you!" He then yawned. "I'd better get to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a big day." He then laid back onto the ground, using his jacket as a pillow.

Pikachu and Caterpie agreed. The peacefulness was broken when a familiar voice sounded nearby. "Well we'd all get some sleep if you'd shut your big mouth!" Ash bolted into a sitting position in time to see Misty's orange hair duck behind a stump.

Ash himself huffed in annoyance as he laid down again. He sent one last snide remark "Don't let the bed-bugs bite," before finally going to sleep.

As Pikachu and Caterpie engaged into a lengthy conversation, I smiled. 'Those two argue like an old married couple.' At this point the next section for the new song entered into my head and I got busy typing down the remaining lyrics before the song disappeared from my mind.

(Cue song What's up? from Star Ocean 3: Til the End of Time OST 2)

I was woken by a massive scream. I bolted upright in my sleeping bag. "Earthquake! Gang War! Tornado! Mummy?" I yelled in confusion. I then looked around and realised that it was Misty and Caterpie again. I sighed.

"Wha-what's wrong? Wha-what's happening?" Ash exclaimed, still looking around the clearing wildly.

"What is this thing doing sleeping near me?" cried out Misty.

I winced at her voice. "It's much too early for this," I mumbled as I gave off a yawn.

"Hear hear!" agreed Chrono, still sleepy-eyed. I then proceeded to get ready and started Vixey's and Chrono's daily brush while watching the drama unfold.

In response to Misty's screechy question, Ash laughed. "It just wants to be your friend."

"If that thing wants to be my friend it can stop bugging me already!" She bent down and glared at the poor Pokémon. "If you're a Pokémon then get out of my face and into the Pokeball!" Caterpie's response was to go sad puppy eyes again. Which if you've seen a bug do the puppy eyes, it's kinda creepy.

"Misty, you are so unbelievable! Caterpie means no harm. Why it likes you, I'll never know," Ash stopped in his reprimanding of the girl to notice that Caterpie was crawling slowly, a sad expression on its face. Ash mimicked the movements and looked worried at his new friend. "Caterpie, what's the matter?" It crawled up onto the stump where Pikachu and its Pokeball were, pressed the button on said Pokeball and disappeared into it.

"Hey! Hold on Caterpie!" Ash called out to the pokeball. Pikachu knocked on the ball worryingly.

Ash then stood up, still in his sleeping bag, and glared at Misty. "Alright Misty, you owe Caterpie an apology. Pokémon have feelings too, you know."

Misty gasped slightly as she probably realised that Ash was right, before going back to being stubborn and turning away from Ash's withering glare.

Ash turned back to the Pokeball. "Don't you worry Caterpie, someday we'll show her!"

(Cue song Chocobo by Akifumi Tada from Final Fantasy: Unlimited OST)

All of a sudden a shadow flew past and landed in a spot of grass nearby. It was a bird. It had brown and cream coloured feathers on the body with bright pink and yellow tail feathers. A plume of pink feathers adorned its head. Ash and I recognised it quickly and Ash himself finally stepped out of the sleeping bag.

"Wow! It's a Pidgiotto!" he exclaimed as he placed his hat on his head. He dug out his PokeDEX to get further information.

"Pidgeotto: an evolved form of the Pidgey, that is armed with sharp claws and dives from the sky to capture its prey. Unlike the more gentle Pidgey, Pidgeotto can be dangerous. Approach with extreme caution."

"Flying types are awesome! Go for it," I said to Ash, giving him the thumbs up. "Pidgeotto's are very loyal and kind to their trainers as long as they're treated well."

"Really?" he asked, clearly excited at the prospect of catching new Pokémon. He then focused his attention on the bird in front of him. "Ok Pidgeotto, I'll show you who the dangerous one around here is." He picked out a Pokeball and enlarged it.

'Wait a minute. Isn't that an empty one?' I thought.

"Pokeball go!" Ash threw the ball and it sped quickly over to the Pokémon. However Pidgeotto calmly swatted the ball to the side. As an insult to injury, the bird did it with its eyes closed plus said, in its own language, _"Denied!"_

I slapped my hand to my face. "Gezz, Ash! Didn't you do any studying to becoming a Pokémon Trainer? You're supposed to weaken the Pokémon first before you throw the ball!" I called over to Ash as he looked crestfallen at the rejected capture.

"Dumbass," added Chrono loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"Whoops!" he said while smiling at me. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Misty and I were sniggering softly at Chrono's 'dumbass' remark. Vixey just shook her head to the side.

"The only reason that you were able to catch Caterpie is that it was already a weakling," added Misty.

"You better stop picking on Caterpie!" said Ash. He marched over to where Misty was. "And now if you'll kindly keep your big MOUTH shut, you'll see how it's done!" he declared. He then picked up Caterpie's Pokeball.

'Oh boy! Not another mistake. Well, I'll stay outta this. He needs to learn these lessons on his own,' I thought as I watched.

"Caterpie, come on out!" Ash yelled as he threw the ball towards Pidgeotto. The Pokémon came out of its Pokeball and looked at the opposition.

Misty and Pikachu gasped at the big mistake Ash made. But it seemed Ash mistook their surprise for awe. "Ha! I told you I knew what I was doing."

"You have no idea of the mistake you just made, do you?" asked Misty incredulously.

(Cue song It's the training! by Toshiro Masuda from Naruto Original Soundtrack II)

"What? Did I do something wrong?" asked Ash. A cry sounded from the battlefield and Ash turned to look. Caterpie was trying its best to escape Pidgeotto's sharp beak as the bird pecked away. Pidgeotto then took off into the sky and swerved around to dive at the poor Pokémon. This continued several times.

"Caterpie! Counter attack!" called Ash. Caterpie stopped and seemed to prepare to do just that, but Pidgeotto was too quick. It struck the Pokémon and sent it careering into a tree. Pidgeotto started to close in for the final blow.

"Ash! Call it back!" I yelled. Ash came to his senses and recalled Caterpie. And just in time, for if he was a second too late, Pidgeotto would have rammed that bug into Sandman's land. As it was, Pidgeotto's beak got stuck in the tree.

(Cue song BRANDISH! by Yasuhiro Misawa from Dynasty Warriors 5 OST. Play once)

"Pikachu go!" he ordered. The mouse Pokémon jumped off the stump and ran toward the stuck Pidgeotto. But Pidgeotto freed itself and soared into the air.

"Pikachu! Thundershock now!" called Ash. Pikachu sent a powerful bolt of electricity to the flying Pokémon. The lightning arced through the air and struck Pidgeotto in mid-flight. As it froze there, electricity coursing through its body, Ash threw the pokeball and captured Pidgeotto. The ball fell to earth and started twitching, signifying the struggle within. After 12 seconds, the ball fell silent.

(Cue song Victory by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy: Unlimited OST)

"Yes! We got Pidgeotto!" whooped Ash as he did the peace sign, his pose. Pikachu copied the stance as best he could. "Pikachu!" he said enthusiastically.

Ash strolled up to Misty smirking. "I am the greatest!" he declared.

"You are the worst! It'll be a long time before you're a Pokémon Master, like a million years!" retorted Misty.

"Ok, that's enough!" I said, breaking the two up. I looked to Misty. "Give the kid a break; he's just started out on his journey. He's bound to make a few mistakes, so stop being so hard on him." She lowered her head slightly. I turned to Ash. "While you are just starting out, you should have known that bird beats bug almost all the time." Ash then lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry," he said. I smiled. "As long as you learn from this mistake, then its fine. Its all part of the learning experience."

(Cue song Dark Clouds by Takanashi Yasuharu from NARUTO Shippuuden Original Soundtrack)

We were interrupted by a woman cackling and we turned to see who it was. "So we meet again!" said a male's voice that sounded familiar.

"Oh crap!" I said as I saw who it was. Yep, it was Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket.

All of a sudden, the same music as before sounded out as the team began chanting out their intro. As they finished three smoke bombs fired for effect.

"You guys sure have a flare for the dramatic entrance," I said.

"Why thank you little boy," said Jessie. I grinned. "I'm 25 years old Jessie. I hardly think that I'm little in anything, if you know what I mean," I said very suggestively. Jessie started to blush strongly as she no doubt caught my meaning. However James explained. "We're here for your Ninetails and any other Pokémon you have on your possession." He wore an embarrassed expression on his face. "Sorry, but I'm with Team Rocket remember," he added as an explanation.

"Yeah," I said regretfully. "Sorry guys, but I don't feel like playing with you today."

"You don't have a choice," said Jessie who had recovered from all the naughty thoughts running through her head.

"Hmmm, well how about this," I said. "If you get past that guy over there," I pointed at Ash, "Then I'll battle with you. I'll even use one Pokémon and you can use however many Pokémon you want against me."

The three then squatted down and had a little conference on this proposition. After thirty seconds they stood up, smirking. "You got yourself a deal!" said Meowth who was grinning.

Team Rocket then turned to Ash. "It'll be easy running over this twerp," said Jessie. "I concur," agreed James. The two then released their Pokémon; Ekans and Koffing.

"Hey! Two against one's not fair!" said Ash.

"Well as we say, 'All's fair in love, war and Pokémon battle'," said Jessie.

"I say that saying's rotten and so are you!"

"Of course we are! We're the bad guys!" stated James.

"Oh James, you're not so bad," I said with a knowing smile. James smiled sheepishly in return.

"Why don't you use two as well Ash?" I asked. Ash turned to look at me. "But the Pokémon League rules say only one at a time."

"I guess that's true. Kanto rules for Kanto region. Wish this was Hoenn," I muttered. I then shook my head. "What am I saying? They're the bad guys! The rules don't apply here!"

James took advantage of the distraction and ordered Koffing to launch a Sludge attack at Pikachu. The attack hit Pikachu dead on in the face, forcing him to close his eyes. _"Nasty!"_ complained Pikachu as he tried to get rid of the nastiness. Ash picked him up. "If you think you can use your dirty tricks to beat me, you're wrong!" He then turned to me. "Can you look after Pikachu for me?" I nodded and took the Pokémon from Ash. I then reached into one of my pockets on my cargos and took out a small towel. As I started to clean Pikachu's face, Ash turned back to Team Rocket.

"So, what's your big battle plan?" smirked Jessie. Ash paused in thought before reaching for his latest capture.

"Pidgeotto go!"

(Cue song Mishima Estate ~ Bottom Floor by Hideyuki Fukasawa from Street Fighter X Tekken Original Soundtrack)

The ball landed on the ground and opened up. Light erupted from the ball and shot into the sky. From the light Pidgeotto rose up, ready for battle.

"Get it Koffing," said James. Koffing rose up into the air as well and started to execute tackle attacks, one after another. Pidgeotto swiftly dodged all of them, even a Sludge attack that was thrown into the mix.

"Ekans, go get your dinner!" called Jessie. As Pidgeotto came further down Ekans rose up and tried to take a bite out of the bird. Pidgeotto dodged and soared up into the air. He came around and pulled into a nosedive, straight at Ekans. Pidgeotto sped up even faster when Ash called for a Quick Attack. Jessie gave the order for Ekans to drill underground. Pidgeotto saw this and started beating its wings furiously so it wouldn't slam into the ground.

Koffing then appeared behind it and Ash yelled out the warning. Pidgeotto turned around just in time to blast a Smog attack away with a beat of its wings. Koffing stepped up the attack by firing several Sludge attacks. Pidgeotto was too busy dodging them to notice Ekans break away from the ground. But Pidgeotto was able to notice Ekans's lunge and dodged the attack.

Meanwhile Team Rocket was already doing a victory dance. Back in the air, Pidgeotto was trying to shake off its pursuers by flying straight up into the air. But Koffing and Ekans were right on its tail.

"Gust counter attack now!" yelled Ash.

Pidgeotto hit the brakes and sent a Gust attack at Koffing, but missed. The distraction was enough for Ekans as it slammed into Pidgeotto from behind. The two then dealt a couple of strong blows to Pidgeotto. Ash, knowing that this would end badly, recalled Pidgeotto.

Ash gritted his teeth. I stepped up to him, Pikachu in my arms, sadly still out of commission. "I can blast these guys away easily enough. I just thought you could do with the experience, but do you want me to take over?" I asked. Ash paused for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm not out yet!" I smiled and stepped back.

He took out Caterpie's Pokeball. "Caterpie, I know you're still weak from that last battle, but you're my last hope of winning. Just give it your best shot!" He then threw the Pokeball. A small flash of light later and a beat up Caterpie was on the field.

All three members of Team Rocket sweatdropped heavily at this. "It's a bug! A measly little bug!" exclaimed Meowth. They then erupted into laughter.

"Let's get the bug spray!" laughed Jessie. The two Pokémon charged towards Caterpie. Poor Caterpie freaked out and tried to hide itself by pressing its head down. But Ash had a plan.

"Caterpie! String shot now!"

(Cue song CHAIN [ROCKIN' 8 GLIDER MIX] by Skankfunk from Air Gear Original Soundtrack 2)

Caterpie complied and started spraying tiny little threads at the advancing Pokémon. Within seconds Koffing was totally wrapped up, now looking like a white beach ball. Next was Ekans. It reared back, its head completely bound up. Then Caterpie charged forward and delivered a strong tackle attack to Koffing, who in turn shot toward Ekans' head. The two collided and were both knocked out.

"What the? Beaten by a Caterpie?" wondered James out loud. "That really bugs me!" said Jessie. Then Meowth stepped up, showing off its claws. "Now watch a real Pokémon in action."

Caterpie continued to apply the String Shot to Meowth and soon he was like a mummified cat. Jessie and James shot over to Meowth and picked him up. "It's time Team Rocket blasted off!" announced Jessie and then they took off. "You may have won this round, but we'll be back!" shouted James before they disappeared out of sight.

"You're welcome back anytime for an ass kicking!" I yelled back.

(Cue song Victory Fanfare -Cosmos- by Tsuyoshi Sekito from Dissidia -Final Fantasy- Original Soundtrack)

Ash was standing still. "We did it," he said numbly. "We did it!" he repeated with more enthusiasm. "We won our first Pokémon victory fair and square! Yeah!"

Ash then picked up Caterpie. "We won thanks to you!" he congratulated.

"You're stronger than you look Caterpie," said Misty. I then finished wiping the rest of the muck from Pikachu's face and he gave the peace sign. Caterpie growled in pleasure from all the praise it was receiving.

"Well Misty, I guess you feel different about Caterpie now," he held out Caterpie to Misty who leaned back slightly.

"Well, I, ah…"

"So, why don't you two make up? Just pat Caterpie on the head and say thanks for a really great job."

Misty whimpered slightly at the thought of touching Caterpie. "You like Pokémon, so it's only right to congratulate one for doing a good job," Ash continued.

"I guess… I guess you're right," said Misty. She inched her hand toward Caterpie but before she could close the distance completely, Caterpie started to do a String Shot attack. At least, that probably what it looked like to Misty as she freaked out.

(Cue song Holy Water by Bruce Faulconer from The Best of DragonBall Z, Vol. VI - The Lost Tracks of DBZ)

The string shot, however was acting like a fountain. Ash placed it on the ground, wondering what was going to happen. I decided to fill him in. "It's evolving," I explained. Ash's eyes widened as he watched the change happen.

The web started to condense on Caterpie, gradually putting more and more layers upon it. After a few minutes the process was complete. Instead of Caterpie there was now an olive green cocoon. Two eyes blinked up at Ash. The boy brought out the PokeDEX and scanned the new Pokémon.

"Metapod: Caterpie's next stage of evolution. It has encased its body in a hard shell. This specimen reached this stage faster than any previously discovered Pokémon of this type."

"Hey, maybe that means that it can keep on changing and go onto the next stage right away," hoped Ash. I shook my head. "No it still needs more experience to reach the next level. But it is strange as to why it evolved after only one battle."

"I overheard Caterpie and Pikachu talking last night," said Vixey. Everyone turned to the red Ninetails. "There were a few topics that they talked about, but the strongest one was about evolution. Caterpie desperately wanted to evolve quickly so he could become a Butterfree."

"Hmmm, that means that evolution of a Pokémon can also happen from a particularly strong emotion. In Caterpie's view, it was longing as well as happiness at being accepted by Misty. Sam will be interested in knowing about this," I said to Vixey. She nodded.

(Cue song Navigator's Glory - The Theme of Limsa Lominsa by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy XIV Original Soundtrack: Field Tracks)

Ash picked up the new Pokémon. "Nice to meet you, Metapod." He then started laughing. "Not in the mood to talk?" Both he and Pikachu then started laughing.

Misty had walked up beside me. "I've never known anyone like him. He really does love Pokémon." I looked at her. "You must not get out much," I said. "There are many trainers out there that love Pokémon just as much as he does. I'm one of them. But he's definitely getting there."

Ash then noticed Misty smiling and shoved Metapod in Misty's face. She flinched back. "Misty, you two were just about to make friends," he said in a sly voice. "You didn't forget did you?"

"I-I didn't forget, but I," she would of said more but then a Beedrill flew past her face. "Oh I'll do anything, let's just get out of this forest!" she wailed.

"No way! There's still plenty more Pokémon to catch in this forest," said Ash. He then took off down the trail with me right behind him. I looked over my shoulder. "Hurry up Mist, or we'll leave you behind!"


	3. Chapter 3: Ascension

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'

**Chapter 3: Ascension**

(Cue song Innumerable animals by Motoi Sakuraba from Eternal Sonata OST - Disc 1)

A piercing scream sliced through the forest. I looked around in a very lazy manner to look at Misty, who was clinging to a tree branch in fright.

"What's wrong Misty?" asked Ash.

"Do you really need to ask?" I asked him in monotone. I then turned to Misty. "Let me guess. Another bug?"

"Yes! Another bug!" she shrilly replied. Ash and Pikachu looked at each other and sighed. I did the same with Vixey and Chrono.

"I… am… soooo surprised…" Chrono replied in a matching monotone.

"Maybe it's a Cowterpie!" joked Ash. However the joke, if you could call it that, had all of us face planting.

"That was totally lame," I said as I recovered. But it seemed that Ash got the 'joke' as he was laughing.

"That's right! You know I hate bugs and I saw one over there!" Misty franticly waved her hand in the general direction behind us. I looked and saw a worm the size of Caterpie but it was cardboard brown, had a stinger on the tail and on the head.

"A Weedle!" exclaimed Ash and dug out his PokeDEX.

"Weedle: The stinger on this Pokémon's head guarantees that any attacker will get the point right where it hurts."

I sniggered slightly. "Hey Ash, seems your PokeDEX has a small sense of humour."

"Yeah, I know. When I first started out it called me a stupid traveller," Ash revealed. I snorted and Pikachu also laughed lightly, as if remembering something in the not-too-distant past.

"Now don't be unfair to the PokeDEX," Chrono said as he grinned widely. "You know that they are programmed to state the facts." He then laughed loudly at his much better joke. Misty joined in, although less loudly and I chuckled at the joke too. Of course I laughed louder when Vixey swatted her brother over the head with a tail.

"A stinger huh?" mused Ash. "Now there's a challenge."

"Why are you so excited about a bug with a stinger? Make it go away!" whined Misty.

"You got to be kidding! You can't possibly expect a great Pokémon trainer like me to let a Weedle escape. I'm gonna catch it!" announced Ash.

"There's no need to go on a catching spree just because you're a newbie," I sighed, though he didn't hear me.

Ash reached for a spare one until I coughed loudly. He paused, and then rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You have to weaken a Pokémon before you can capture it."

"Stop talking like you're in a documentary!" Chrono yelled.

Ash ignored the silver Ninetails and turned to his pal. "Let's go Pikachu!"

However Pikachu had conveniently started sleeping. This act had us falling over again.

"Oh, taking a nap huh?" said Ash. He then smiled smugly and reached for the other Pokémon he had. "Ok, snooze you loose. There's still Pidgeotto and Metapod to do the job, and they give me the respect I deserve."

"You deserve to have your head examined," said Misty snidely. However that was short lived as she looked down to see the Weedle trying to climb up her leg. The result? She ran off screaming.

"Hmm, Misty must unconsciously give off a certain kind of pheromone that attracts the little guys. Might be puberty," I wondered to myself. "Either that or they're going for her looks."

"Her good looks? Seriously?" Chrono asked with his eyebrows raised.

"Hey, there are guys that like fiery redheads. Like me!" I then proceeded to wander down memory lane and into the proverbial gutter as I remembered a particular time spent with an amazing red haired goddess. "That was a good month, for sure," I smiled dreamily. Until Vixey swatted my head. "Oh, sorry Vixey," I apologised. She simply smiled in a satisfied way.

"Don't just stand there! Catch it!" yelled Misty as she was running.

"Have no fear, Ash is here!" he said dramatically.

"You're not a superhero!" Chrono quipped.

(Cue song On the Verge of the Assault by Takeharu Ishimoto from Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Original Soundtrack)

Ash picked out Pidgeotto's ball and released her. Pidgeotto appeared right in front of the Weedle, her wings spread out as if anticipating her master's next orders.

"Pidgeotto! Gust attack!"

Pidgeotto complied and started to beat her wings, creating a strong wind that blew the Weedle away. Pidgeotto then soared up into the sky and started swooping, wearing down the Weedle. I was impressed at how Ash was handling his Pidgeotto.

"That's the way to do it!" called out Ash.

As Pidgeotto continued her assault, the Weedle finally had enough and attacked by curling up it's tail and shooting forward like a cannon, it's stinger in front.

"Pidgeotto! Watch out for its Poison Sting!" warned Ash. Pidgeotto swerved quickly away and the attack missed by inches. "Ha! Nice work!" congratulated Ash as Pidgeotto swooped back into the air. One last attack and the Weedle was weak enough for capture.

"I got you now!" said Ash as he prepared an empty Pokeball. It looked to be a smooth capture. But then a stranger dressed in generic samurai armour with a bug net strapped to his back and a katana on his waist walked up behind Ash. "I am guessing you are the trainer who comes from Pallet?" he asked.

"I'm a Pokémon trainer from Pallet but I'm a little busy!" said Ash, slightly miffed that someone interrupted him.

"I have found you at last," said the stranger and reached for his sword and drew it. But I was already in motion. "Watch out Ash!" I called out and using all the speed I had I flashed behind the stranger, dropped to the ground and spun my leg out. I toppled the assailant to the ground, his sword flying away from him. Now effectively disarmed, Vixey and Chrono positioned themselves ready to attack, growling softly, but dangerously. He froze instantly. Ash saw this and his eyes widened.

(Cue song Materia - FFVII ACC Version by Tsuyoshi Sekito from Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete Reunion Tracks)

"Now this is how it's going to work out. I ask a question and you will answer truthfully. If you do, you will survive until the next question. If not, I will know and believe me, you don't want to experience what happens then," I said in a deadly voice as I walked around and placed myself in front of the slightly chubby boy. "If you try to run, my companions will blast you down quicker than you can say 'Butterfree'. Understand?" I asked.

"I understand," replied the boy very nervously.

"Good. Question 1: Why did you try to draw your sword at my friend?" I questioned, my tone remaining.

"I was simply issuing a challenge to this trainer," he replied, still quite nervous.

"Then why not simply wait until he's free? And for that matter, why issue your challenge with his back turned? Only a coward does such a thing," I said.

"I am no coward!" the boy protested angrily.

"Your actions say otherwise. You issued your challenge with his back turned and when he was preoccupied with his battle. That spells coward to me," I replied coldly. "Ash, would you fetch me his sword?"

"Uhh… sure Josh," he replied, also a little nervous. He crossed over to where the blade was lying on the ground and walked over to me, passing me the sword. At that moment Misty arrived back where we were and looked shocked at what was happening. I took the sword and I studied it. To my surprise I saw that it was completely fake. It was made of plastic.

I sighed. "Stand down guys," I said to Vixey and Chrono. They instantly relaxed their muscles and sat down. I walked up to the boy and handed back the toy sword.

"Next time don't surprise people like that. Some people can get the wrong idea, like I just did. Next time, it just might get you killed. Now what do you want?" I asked, my tone still cold, but much less so now that I had determined that he was of no threat.

"I was going to challenge the trainer from Pallet," he announced. "I am known as Samurai! I'm also shrewd, fearless and invincible in combat! I have been searching the forest for you." Here he pointed at Ash. "I challenge you to a Pokémon match! Let us see who triumphs."

A silence fell over the clearing that was broken by Ash's yelp. "Oh no! I forgot about Weedle!" He turned to where it was last seen but it had now recovered enough to begin getting away. He threw the ball, but it was too late. The Weedle escaped.

Meanwhile Pidgeotto had been gliding up in the air. She was starting to get tired. Luckily Ash recalled her before she became pooped out.

Ash then turned to glare at Samurai. "That Weedle only got away because you interrupted me!"

"Don't blame your failure on me. Your Pokémon handling is dim-witted and clumsy!" said Samurai.

"Actually, you are partially to blame," I said. "If you had been polite you would have waited for Ash to finish his battle. Instead you issued your challenge by pretending to attack him, with his back turned no less. If you really considered yourself as a Samurai, you wouldn't have acted so cowardly." I accused. I was being slightly unfair but I had to make the kid realise that he did the wrong thing.

He seemed to get it and hung his head slightly in shame. "You're right. I apologise. But I still want a battle with this trainer."

I shrugged. "Hey, I don't care who you battle. So long as you realise that you're in the wrong and you say sorry, I'm fine with it." I turned to Ash. "What about you? Feel up to a little battling?" Ash grinned. "You bet I do!"

I smiled. "Then I'll be the referee for this match," I decided.

(Cue song The Gun Barrel of Battle by Nobuo Uematsu from Lost Odyssey Original Soundtrack)

Ash sent forward his Pokémon. A bad choice as it was poor Pidgeotto. The bird was still tired from the last battle and was lying on the ground.

"Oops," said Ash as he realised this mistake.

"Only a novice goes into battle with a pooped out Pokémon. Your blunder will cost you dearly!" said Samurai and he summoned his own Pokémon, a Pincer.

"Pincer: This fearsome Pokémon uses its powerful claws to put the squeeze on its opponents," was the explanation from Ash's PokeDEX. Pidgeotto had since stood up and awaited her orders. "That Pincer looks pretty tough. But Pidgeotto can beat it!" said Ash, confident in his abilities. Pidgeotto cawed in agreement.

"Pidgeotto! Sand attack!" said Ash. Pidgeotto went to work by creating large clouds of dust that headed straight for the opponent. The dust washed over Pincer but didn't look like it would work.

"That's child's play! Pincer, Tackle it!" yelled Samurai. Pincer jumped through the whirling dust cloud and hit dead centre. Pidgeotto skidded to a halt and she squawked in a defeated manner.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Your Pokémon is beaten!" said Samurai.

"Oh no! Pidgeotto return!" said Ash, beginning to get a little nervous as he recalled the tired Pokémon.

"Novice, are you ready to surrender?"

"No way! I'm just warming up!" Ash then summoned his next Pokémon, Metapod.

"Watch and weep as Pincer crushes your Metapod in half!" announced Samurai. Pincer demonstrated by opening and closing the claws on its head. Ash looked very nervous now.

"This match is already won!" said Samurai as Pincer rushed forward.

"Metapod! Harden!" ordered Ash. Metapod complied and a green sparkling coat appeared over it. Metapod was swept up into the claws as Pincer tried to crush it. However one look at Metapod's new hardened shell and you could instantly tell that the shell was now as hard as steel. This theory won over as the spikes on Pincer's big claws shattered.

I whistled. That was some defence. The others agreed with me. Ash grinned at Samurai. "Now who's the novice?" he questioned. Ash's answer was Pincer being recalled.

"Clever. Quite clever," admitted Samurai as he cast out his next Pokémon. Ash gasped slightly as he saw what it was.

(Cue song Cell & Piccolo Face Off by Bruce Faulconer from The Best of Dragon Ball Z, Vol. II)

It was now a dual with Metapods. I sat down and pulled out my computer tablet as this was going to take awhile. For Samurai ordered his Metapod to harden. Ash did the same. And so this little cycle continued for quite some time. Three hours in fact. While I was waiting for anything new to happen, I managed to type down the lyrics for a new song.

A couple of thumps alerted me that the two had fallen over from being in the same position. In fact, Ash stayed like that for a few minutes.

*sigh* "This has turned into a battle between trainers rather than between Pokémon," I said as I tucked away the computer back into my pack and stood back up, making sure to stretch a bit before doing so.

"Don't give up!" Ash said to his own Metapod through his teeth.

"Since this match cannot be finished, I declare this battle a draw!" I announced. Ash jumped to his feet, ready to protest, but fell over again as he cried out in pain from stitches. I decided to answer the question he would have undoubtedly asked.

"The reason is because Metapod only knows Harden in the first place. There won't be an end until one evolves, gives up voluntarily or is knocked out from outside influence. There's no way around this. I'm sorry."

"But I-" began Ash but I held up a hand to silence him. He stopped, but only because he heard the same thing I did. It was a faint buzzing, but was getting louder. It also sounded that whatever it was, it wasn't alone.

"What's that noise?" asked Misty.

(Cue song Face It! by Yoko Shimomura from Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack Complete (Disc 7 ~ Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories))

"A Beedrill swarm approaches," explained Samurai. He recalled his own Metapod. I looked to the sky and saw that he was right. A huge swarm was indeed coming this way. I estimated that the swarm was over 70 strong.

"Oh shit!" I swore as they got closer.

Ash took out his PokeDEX and scanned them.

"Beedrill: This Pokémon is an evolved form of Weedle, following its Kakuna stage. Its sting is highly poisonous," was the info that came from it.

"The Weedle that got away from you must've informed the rest of the hive," supplied Samurai. He then promptly turned around and with a "Good day!" he bolted from the area.

One Beedrill flew ahead of the swarm, swooped in and, before we realised it, took Ash's Metapod. Ash tried to recall it but the Beedrill swerved and dodged the red beam. It soon escaped.

"No…" breathed Ash in shock. A second Beedrill swooped in to attack Ash but Pikachu, Vixey and Chrono blasted it with lightning and fire. The Pokémon flew off badly damaged. Unfortunately Pikachu also jolted Ash at the same time. I grabbed one of Ash's smoking hands and dragged him away, Misty in the lead. Soon he was able to run on his own.

(Cue song Never Look Back by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack)

"But Metapod-" started Ash but I tugged at him hard, making him look at me. "We'll have to search for it later. Right now getting out of this situation is our first priority!" Ash didn't like it, hell I didn't like it, but he nodded and concentrated on running as fast as he could.

Up ahead was Samurai, looking just as freaked out as us. Vixey and Chrono were firing off a few bouts of fire, but that did little to slow them down. In fact it made them even more pissed off. The angry buzzing was getting louder and louder; evidence that they were gaining. I was starting to ponder whether I should summon some of my other Pokémon to blast them away.

Suddenly Samurai took a sharp left. We followed him and crouched down. We heard the swarm pass and we breathed out a sigh of relief. Until we turned around that is.

(Cue song The Wall by Ramin Djawadi from Game of Thrones Soundtrack)

In front of us was a large tree. And hanging down from the branches and clamped onto the trunk were dozens of Kakunas.

"Crap!" I muttered very quietly. They seemed not to have noticed us yet but any loud noises and that situation would change very quickly.

"A whole hive of Kakunas," breathed Samurai. Misty gasped loudly before I clamped my hand over her mouth and shushed her. She nodded her head but kept her eyes on the bugs. Ash had removed his PokeDEX and was looking up the Pokémon.

"Kakuna: A transitional stage between Weedle and Beedrill. Kakuna's remain inactive until they evolve into deadly Beedrills and hatch."

"That's right. And these look ready to hatch at a moment's notice," I whispered.

Ash gasped as he saw a familiar shape beneath the tree.

"Hey! Over there! It's Metapod!" Ash said loudly. A bit too loudly. Misty placed her hand on Ash's mouth but the damage had already been done. Every single Kakuna eye swivelled to look at us. We froze, waiting for the inevitable. Slowly, every single Kakuna shell split down the back from which bright light shot out. Through the glare we saw the Beedrill burst from their respective cocoon.

(Cue song Never Look Back by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack)

"Aww shit," I said before we started running for our lives as the new Beedrills began charging us. Oh yeah, we were screaming our heads off too. Thankfully after only a few minutes of running we came across a small house. Samurai made a beeline (excuse the pun) for it and quickly opened the door. We all rushed inside and Samurai shut the door. And not a moment too soon. As soon as the door closed, two stingers crunched through the wood. We all looked shocked as how close it had been. The two Beedrills removed their stingers but through the two new holes we saw that the rest of the swarm were still there, waiting.

(Cue music silence)

"That was too close for comfort," I said with Ash and Misty agreeing.

"I hope you've learned you lesson Novice!" said Samurai. I narrowed my eyes but still looked away from him. "You letting that Weedle escape almost cost our lives!"

"Samurai! Shut up!" I growled out threateningly. He quickly did so, but what was said was said. Ash stood up, pissed. "Take back that Novice crap!" he said.

"Ash, you shut up too," I said in a much more toned down voice. "Like it or not, you are a Novice at being a Pokémon trainer. You still have a lot to learn about Pokémon." I then turned to Samurai, who had removed his armour and helmet. "And you, bushy-brows," I said, referring to his thick eyebrows, "Novices are allowed to make mistakes. Its part of growing up, so don't berate others for learning." Everyone was silent after this.

"Now, I think that this is what we should do. We all get a good night sleep. Then in the morning Ash and I will go out and search for Metapod." No one had any objections so we all made a space for ourselves and fell asleep.

(Cue song A Momentary Rest by Takeharu Ishimoto from Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Original Soundtrack. Play once)

(Cue song Things I Do For Love by Ramin Djawadi from Game of Thrones Soundtrack)

I awoke to two wet noses nuzzling against my face. I opened my eyes to see two pairs of fox eyes looking at me. I sat up, realising that it was in the early stages of the morning. I looked from the window to my partners and was about to ask what was going on when I spotted the reason they woke me up.

Ash's bed was empty.

I sighed and started getting dressed quickly, but quietly. In a few minutes I was ready. The three of us then snuck out of the cabin. As soon as we were out of hearing range I turned to my two Ninetails.

"You guys got his scent?" I asked. Both Vixey and Chrono nodded. Chrono took the lead, his nose low to the ground. It turned out that Ash had just left the cabin moments before my pokemon woke me as it only took a few minutes to find him. He was back at the bug tree with all the newly hatched Beedrill. It also seemed that he was in a spot of trouble with Team Rocket.

The two had just finished their motto and had set off coloured smoke bombs for effect. This in turn had woken up the Beedrill. Then Ash started running toward the swarm. I thought he was crazy before I realised his plan. Then, just as I thought it, Ash dived under the leader Beedrill and rolled away. The swarm then turned on Jessie, James and Meowth.

"Heh. The poor bastards," I said as the threesome ran away with the swarm hot on their tails.

I turned to Vixey and Chrono. "C'mon guys. Let's back Ash up." We then followed Ash as he picked up his Pokémon and started running from a solitary Beedrill. He then tripped and spoke a few words, but I was too far to hear what he was saying. But it seamed that he had forgot all about the Beedrill until it was too late.

By now Misty, Samurai and Pikachu had woken up and had arrived at the scene.

"Ash!" cried out Misty in alarm.

"Watch out for the Twin Needle attack!" warned Samurai.

That was when his Metapod flipped up and slammed into the advancing Pokémon, breaking its right sting. Ash caught Metapod as the wounded Beedrill buzzed weakly away.

I then walked up to Ash with Vixey, Chrono, Misty, Samurai and Pikachu behind me. Looking closer I saw a large and deep gash across Metapod. 'He must have got it when he tackled the Beedrill,' I thought.

"Metapod! Are you ok? Are you hurt?" fretted Ash before a bright light shone through the crack. Slowly from the crack, a form was taking shape. As the light died down, Metapod was no more, and in his place, was Butterfree.

(Cue song Dragons Gate by Hiroshi Takaki from Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi Soundtrack)

"Nice!" I said, smiling. Ash was staring at his new Pokémon with awe. However we were quickly surrounded by the rest of the Beedrill hive. There looked to be over 50 of them.

"Ash," I said. The young trainer looked at me. "We're going to use a Combination Attack ok?" Ash looked confused. "Combination Attack?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'll use a Pokémon to help your Butterfree spread its Sleep Powder. You with me so far?" Ash nodded.

I then flicked my hand to my belt and drew a Pokeball. My Pokeballs were much different from Ash's. The red and white parts were black, with the steel band and button were gold. And not only that but the button was glowing green.

"Come on out Kaze!" I yelled as I released the Pokémon inside. A bright flash of light later and there hovered in front of me was an enormous Pidgeot. It was at least 3 times as big as a normal one.

"Ok Kaze, I need you to pick up this Butterfree and circle around all these Beedrill quickly," I ordered.

"You got it!" said Kaze before taking Butterfree gently in his talons and began to fly over the heads of the Beedrills.

"Ok Butterfree! Use Sleep Powder!" called Ash. The Pokémon complied by letting loose a heavy mist of Sleep Powder. Within seconds the whole hive was knocked out and sleeping peacefully.

"Butterfree: One week after Catterpie evolves into Metapod, it again evolves into Butterfree," said the PokeDex as Ash scanned his new Pokémon.

"You were able to handle your Butterfree so well just after evolving," said Samurai. "Most impressive."

"Pikachu," agreed Pikachu.

After leaving the sleeping Pokemon to… well sleep, Samurai took it upon himself to guide us out of the forest. Soon we were looking out at green rolling hills with only a few trees around.

"This trail will lead you to Pewter City," said Samurai.

"Thanks," Ash and I said.

"But before we leave you Samurai," added Ash, "we still need to finish our match."

"Compared with you my friend, I am the Novice. But I will keep perfecting my technique and one day, we will meet again," said Samurai.

"Until then Samurai," said Ash before we all started walking down the road that would lead us to Pewter City.


	4. Chapter 4: Time to Rock!

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'

* * *

**Chapter 4: Time to Rock!**

(Cue song Felt Tip Pen by Yoko Kanno from Cowboy Bebop Original Soundtrack 1)

We walked over the crest of a hill and found ourselves looking down at Pewter City. Ash ran ahead slightly to get a better view by clambering on top of a large rock.

"Wow!" he exclaimed. Misty and I walked up to him. "Yay! It's Pewter City!" said Misty.

Ash sighed heavily as he sat down on the rock. "Phew! For a while there I thought I was going to be in this forest forever!" Pikachu agreed and plonked down next to his friend.

"Pewter City is grey, the colour of stone," came a voice out of nowhere. However I looked over the stone that Ash was sitting on and saw a man wearing a red cap and had a large brown beard. "This town's always been famous for its stone," the man finished off.

"Who's this old guy?" asked Ash who had caught sight of the man.

"Never met him," said Misty.

However I had recognised that voice, but it had been so long ago that I had forgotten who it belonged to. "I might," I said making Ash, Misty and Pikachu look at me. "But I can't remember. It's been over 5 years since I came here last."

"The name's Flint," the guy introduced himself. "And you're sitting on some of my merchandise."

Ash quickly stood up, apologising. He then took a good look around. "You mean you sell rocks?"

As we made our way down from the small cliff the man explained. "Pewter City souvenirs. Wanna buy some?"

"No thanks! I'm travelling trying to become a Pokémon Trainer," said Ash. Pikachu gave a long sigh showing how tired it was. I then prodded Ash. "Hey Ash, we should get to the Pokémon Centre and give Pikachu and you're other Pokémon some rest. We're all dog tired," I said as I yawned loudly.

Ash looked at his Pokémon and nodded. "You're right."

"I can take you there," said Flint and he stood up and started walking into town.

"He sounds like a nice guy," said Ash.

"Are you sure?" asked Misty.

"By the way, that'll be a 2 dollar charge for resting on my rocks," said Flint making everyone collapse to the ground.

* * *

(Cue song Interlude by Senju Akira from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Original Soundtrack 1)

We got to the Centre and Ash asked Nurse Joy to heal up his Pokémon. He was at first confused as to why this Nurse Joy looked exactly like the Nurse Joy from Viridian City but I quickly explained that all Nurse Joy's looked exactly alike, aside from one or two minor differences.

While we waited, we all sat down in comfy chairs in the foyer.

"So Ash, what do you plan to do on your journey?" I asked as I took out my brush and began to comb down Vixey's fur.

"Uh… I don't know. Catch Pokémon?" he asked.

"How bout entering the Kanto League Tournament," I said. Ash looked confused. "Kanto League Tournament?" he repeated as a question.

"That's right. The Kanto League Tournament is part of the Pokémon League Championships. Surely you've seen these televised on the TV?" Ash still looked unsure.

[Cue song ETERNAL WAYFARER by Junichi Nakatsuru from Soul Calibur III Original Soundtrack -LEGEND OF SOUNDS- (Disc II)]

"Well. Each region has an annual tournament of Pokémon battles. Trainers enter to win the tournament cup. Winning these tournaments will bring you great fame. It counts as a large step to being recognised as a Pokémon Master." Ash's eyes lit up at this.

"OK!" he pumped his fist to the air. "I'm going to enter this tournament!"

"Hold your Rapidashes kiddo. You need to complete several trials first before you are allowed entry into the League."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Ash, his inner fire dying down a bit.

"Scattered over the Kanto region are Gyms where you must win a battle with the Gym Leader for each Gym. After you win the battle, the leader will give you a Gym Badge as proof that you defeated that Gym Leader," Vixey said.

"The number of Gym Badges needed for entry is eight. And there are eight official Gyms in Kanto. Once you have eight badges, they will guarantee your entry in the competition," Chrono finished.

"Wow. You guys know heaps about this stuff," said Ash.

"Well we should. I've already collected the eight needed for this competition a while back. But I didn't enter as I had… other things to do at that moment. So I've just been saving them for when I had the time to enter. I guess this year's as good as any." By the time I had finished, both Ash and Misty were bug eyed.

"You have all eight badges!" whispered Misty.

I scratched the back of my head and smiled softly. "Yeah. I have them around here somewhere," I said as I began to dig around my backback for a moment, before pulling out a small black case with a gold stripe horizontally through the middle. I opened the case and showed the contents to Ash and Misty. Sure enough, eight badges sparkled in the light.

"Man, I got a lot of catching up to do," said Ash, looking at the badges as I closed the lid and shoved the case back into my bag. I smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll help you get there and I'll train you. I'll start off by giving you some information. There's a Gym here in Pewter City. It's been five years since I earned this badge so I'm sure that the Gym Leader has changed, but it'll still be rock Pokémon that he'll be using."

"Alright! I'm going to go there and win this badge!" said Ash, all fired up again.

(Cue song Confrontment by Toshiro Masuda from Naruto Original Soundtrack II)

"Ha ha ha," came a voice and we turned to see Flint walking toward us. It seemed he overheard us. "Don't tell me you plan on challenging Brock?" he asked.

"Of course I do," said Ash. "As soon as Pikachu and my other Pokémon are better I'll have no problem. Take me to this Brock so I can beat him."

"He's getting carried away again," said Chrono softly to Vixey and me.

"He's a green horn. It comes with the occupation," I replied softly.

"Ha ha ha," laughed Flint again. He seemed quite amused that Ash could win against Brock. "You beat him?" He then walked away, continuing to laugh.

(Cue song Shin Gakki (2) by Kurihara Masaki from Azumanga Daioh Original Soundtrack - Omatome Ban - CD1)

Five minutes later saw us at the local restaurant chowing down some food. I was having some fries and chicken. Vixey and Chrono were sharing a bowl of chips as well. Misty was munching away at a salad. Ash, however was bolting his rice, chicken teriyaki, fries and soda angrily.

"Oooh that Flint! Trying to make a fool out of me!" he said after he swallowed his mouthful.

"Do you really think you can win?" asked Misty, perplexed at where Ash got his confidents from. "Gym leaders are different from ordinary trainers. They're much, much more tougher."

"Misty's right Ash. These guys are worth twenty ordinary trainers. There's a reason they were accepted as Gym Leaders by the Pokémon League," I added.

"Ha! I bet I can beat this Brock, no sweat." It seemed Ash was too confident for his own good.

"Ok Ash," I said, making the beginner trainer look at me curiously. "If you can beat me at a Pokémon battle, then you really will have no trouble beating a Gym Leader." Ash instantly sobered up.

"Are they really that tough?" he asked softly.

"Of course they are. They have to be, to weed out the weaker opponents so only the strong trainers are allowed access to the Tournament. It's no walk in the park," I said.

"More like a walk in a minefield for someone like you," Chrono added.

"But, challenge him anyway," I said.

"What?" said both Ash and Misty.

"There's no doubt you'll lose the first time. However you shouldn't see it as loosing." Here Ash cocked his head to the side, confused.

"Winning's good, there's no doubt about that. But loosing is a good way to find out your weakness and train to remove that weakness. Plus you know what your opponent's Pokémon and moves are so you can strategise much better for the second battle. A lot of people look at loosing as failing, but loosing is actually a win in and on itself, as long as you challenge them a second time and not give up after your loss."

Ash nodded. "You're right!" he said, feeling better already. "Thanks Josh!" he said. I smiled. "No problem."

* * *

(Cue song Checklist by Toshihiko Sahashi from Fullmetal Panic Original Sound Track 1)

After lunch which I shouted, we all trooped back to the Pokémon centre to pick up Ash's Pokémon.

"Here you go Ash. Your Pokémon are all back to normal again," was the report that Joy gave to Ash.

"Thank you Nurse Joy," said Ash gratefully as Pikachu hopped on his usual perch that was Ash's right shoulder.

"Hey there Pikachu. How ya doing?" I said to the Pokémon while scratching him behind the ears, which he really liked.

Misty said that she had some window shopping to do and left. We then made our way to the Gym.

(Cue song A Little Help from a Friend by Bruce Faulconer from Dragonball Z: Trunks Compendium 1)

Looking at the Gym refreshed my memory and I remembered that it looked exactly like it did now. The walls were made out of misshapen rocks, creating a mountain like feel. The stone walls were stood in place by four thick iron pillars. The door was also iron. There was a massive rock above the door where the words 'Pewter Gym' were carved into the stone in the top left-hand corner.

"Seriously, whoever designed this gym must've been blind," I muttered more to myself than anyone. I then turned to the 10 year old next to me. "You ready?" I asked Ash. He nodded. "Good luck," I then said. Ash turned to me. "Why are you wishing me good luck? I thought you said I was going to lose here."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't do your best! To not do so would be an insult to the trainer you're battling, wouldn't you say?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah." He then looked down at Pikachu. "Let's do it!"

Ash then stepped forward and pushed open the doors. "Hello!" he called out.

(Cue song Battle Ignition by Shiro Sagisu from BLEACH Original Soundtrack I) bookmark

"Who goes there?" called a voice from inside the shadows and a light turned on, shining down on a 15 year old teenager. He had brown skin and spiky brown hair. He wore a pair of brown pants held up by a black leather belt, an orange t-shirt and an olive green vest with lots of pockets attached. He appeared calm and collected.

"So you must be Brock!" said Ash. "I'm Ash, from Pallet Town. I challenge you!"

"Is this your first Gym battle?" asked Brock.

"Uh… yeah?" said Ash, prompting Brock to continue. "A Gym match is different from other battles. This match is for Pokémon League Authorisation. There are special rules."

"Um… what do you mean by 'special rules'?" asked Ash.

"We will use two Pokémon each, understood?" Brock then looked at Pikachu. "How long have you had that Pokémon?"

"Um… about two weeks I guess?" replied Ash, failing to see where this was going.

"Yes, your Pikachu is in its cutest stage." The Pokémon in question liked the praise he was getting. "It can't win." Pikachu stumbled slightly at this.

"I'll worry about my Pokémon and you worry about yours alright?" said Ash, a little peeved.

"Suit yourself," said Brock. "As Gym Leader, I have to accept all challengers, so let's just get this over with." Here Brock clicked his fingers, which activated the unique battlefield to roll into place. The field was a rock field with rocks littered all over the place. Ash stood in awe as the two halves of the field rolled together, colliding with a resounding crunch.

Brock jumped down from where he was sitting and landed at the edge of the field. He pulled out his first pokeball. "Let the battle begin!"

"Ok, let's do it!" He then turned to his friend. "Pikachu, you're up!"

"Pikachu!" he said in agreement and jumped up onto the field.

[Cue song Squirming Evil by Yoko Shimomura from Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack Complete (Disc 1 ~ Kingdom Hearts)]

"Onyx! Go!" called Brock and launched his pokeball. The ball landed on the field and opened up. A huge mass of light roared out of the ball and materialised in the air. It was a huge Onyx. The great rock Pokémon looked down at poor Pikachu, who was having serious second thoughts. Onyx gave a roar that send Pikachu scurrying back to Ash. He climbed up Ash's leg and almost reached Pidgeotto's ball when Ash grabbed him.

"Hey! This is your battle, not Pidgeotto's!" Ash set Pikachu back on the ground and pushed him forward slightly.

"Pika pi?" asked the yellow Pokémon, which thanks to Chrono's translation meant 'Do I have to?' Ash nodded and Pikachu walked forward, quite nervous now, saying 'Oh man…'.

Onyx dove forward in a tackle attack ordered by Brock. Pikachu freaked out and quickly scampered out of the way. The tackle smashed into the field milliseconds later. However Onyx quickly used his tail to bind Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Thundershock!" ordered Ash.

Pikachu complied and soon bolts of electricity shot out of him. But Onyx just tilted his head to the side and said 'That tickled.'

"You haven't raised it very well. Such a weak electrical attack can't hurt Onyx," said Brock. Onyx continued to squeeze Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Return!" said Ash and tried to recall Pikachu but Onyx's huge body blocked the pokeball's attempt.

After a few more seconds Ash surrendered.

* * *

(Cue music silence)

We walked out of the Gym, Ash holding Pikachu in his arms. "I can't believe how quickly we were defeated," said Ash.

"Well Brock isn't a Gym Leader for nothing," I said. "So what have you learnt from this battle?"

Ash was silent for a few seconds before he answered. "That I have to power Pikachu up majorly before we can stand a chance."

{Cue song Whales by Armand Amar & Adèle Carlier from Home (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Deluxe Version]}

I nodded before I stopped and began to think. Ash, Vixey and Chrono stopped as well.

"What's wrong?" Ask asked.

"Oh, just thinking…" I mumbled, more to myself.

"Are you thinking about…?" Vixey asked.

"I am," I replied in a serious tone.

"But why?" Chrono protested. "He's only just started out!"

"Yeah, but he saw Ho-Oh. You know what's in store for him. He might not have time to go through all the usual stuff," I argued.

Chrono was silent for a minute before he nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ash asked.

I turned to him. "I'm going to tell you a secret of mine." Ash looked a little confused but focused on what I was saying. "I have a special power. I can't fly and I don't have super human strength, but my power helps others. I can awaken Pokémon's hidden powers." Ash looked more confused.

"All my Pokémon are powerful in their own right. But I've used my powers to unlock hidden abilities. This results in them using their own unique moves. I call them 'Overdrive' moves. These moves are either a Sword type or a Shield type. Sometimes the Pokémon will have both a Sword and a Shield if they have massive hidden potential and sometimes two on the same side. These moves you won't see anywhere else. They'll be unique to that Pokémon." I looked at Pikachu in Ash's arms. "I've decided to awaken Pikachu's hidden powers."

Ash was wide eyed. "Really? You can do that?" he asked. I nodded. "However, these new powers come at a price. If used, they will almost guarantee that you win the round, but the Pokémon will be too tired to continue. They drain the stamina of the user. You need to only use this when you're backed into a corner and have nothing left to lose." Ash nodded. "I understand."

"There's a plus side to this. After using my power the Pokémon will have a permanent sharp increase in their abilities. Ok, set Pikachu down." Ash did so. Pikachu looked up at me. I placed my hand on top of his head and focused.

(Cue song Main Menu by Michael McCann from Deus Ex: Human Revolution OST)

As first nothing happened. Then Pikachu started glowing brightly. Electricity started firing off around it in quick succession. An aura of energy was flaring around Pikachu. All of a sudden, dark clouds began rolling in and soon the whole sky was cluttered with storm clouds.

"Bloody hell! You've got some serious power hidden away inside of you!" I said in surprise as I felt the hidden power inside Pikachu. There was so much, the power could rival a Zapdos at full strength.

"There's so much potential, plenty for two Overdrive moves. One for power and one for speed. First the Sword Overdrive," I said and began concentrating. Massive lightning bolts began to jump between the storm clouds. Pikachu's whole body brightened for a few seconds before settling down to the glowing.

"And now for the Shield Overdrive…" I said as again I concentrated. Beads of sweat were running down my face but I didn't dare break my focus to wipe my brow. Again Pikachu lit up until the Pokémon looked like a mini star. After a few moments the shining died down and the storm clouds vanished.

I removed my hand and collapsed onto the grass, panting hard. "It always takes a lot out of me every time I do that. This was extra hard because I've been out of practice. I've only done this on my partners and that last time I did this was over 6 years ago." I then looked to admire my handiwork.

There Pikachu stood, lightning crackled around him. He looked totally fine. Ash looked at me and smiled. "Thanks a bunch Josh. Do you know what the techniques are?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. The Sword Overdrive is called Thor's Might. It creates an enormous lightning bolt that'll break through any physical, mental and type defences. However it uses the summoned storm clouds for the bulk of the power so this should only be used outside unless you want to trash the roof of the building you're battling inside.

The Shield Overdrive is called Hiraishin. When used, Pikachu will move at the speed of light. You'll have almost no equal in speed when that move is used. Not even a Pokémon who uses ExtremeSpeed will be able to catch up."

Ash's eyes were wide in awe of how powerful Pikachu had gotten. But then he looked a little confused. "What does 'Hiraishin' mean?" he asked.

I grinned at him. "It means 'Flying Thunder God'. Use this new power well."

Ash grinned back. "I will. Thanks so much!"

"No sweat," I said. "Now how about you test out Pikachu's power and see how much stronger it's gotten." Ash nodded and ordered Pikachu to let loose a Thundershock. Pikachu complied and let loose one but the move was super strong. Almost like a…

"It seems that Pikachu has learned another move. That was a Thunderbolt move," I observed.

"Sweet!" yelled Ash. I looked up at the now clear sky and saw that it was evening. The sun was already set but the sky was still full of orange and red colour.

(Cue Music silence)

"Ash, let's get back to the Pokémon Centre," I said but it seemed he was looking at someone else. I turned around and saw that it was Flint Ash was looking at.

He stood still for a few seconds before turning around. "Follow me," he simply said. Wondering what the old man wanted to tell us we followed along.

It turned out that he led us to his hut where we first met him. There we got Pikachu into bed as he was still wiped out from the battle.

Ash was beginning to look down again so I asked, "You still bummed out that you lost?" He nodded.

"Everyone losses sometimes kid," said Flint as he came back with some tea. "You can't let that get you down."

"I know, but I didn't just loose, I stunk," said Ash. "Brock's way better than me. I can never enter the League if I can't beat him."

Flint took a sip of his tea before answering. "Brock is very good. His own talents could take him further than being the local Gym Leader."

"Yeah but, why has he never been in a regional championship himself?" asked Ash.

A pause. "He has his reasons," said Flint before he stood up and led Ash and I into town once again, only this time he stopped at a house behind the Gym.

(Cue song Hawke Family Theme by Inon Zur from Dragon Age II Soundtrack)

We peeked over the fence and saw through the window. There were nine small children inside. Some of them only a year old. There was someone making some dinner in the kitchen. A tenth kid, a little girl came and yanked on the person's pants. "I tore my skirt!" she said. The person turned around revealed himself to be Brock. "All right, all right, I'll sow it up for you," he said in a completely different voice than what he used in the battle. This voice was soft and kind.

"Huh?" exclaimed Ash.

"Looks like he's too busy looking after those kids," was what I said, absently scratching behind the ears of Vixey and Chrono.

"Is it done yet?" asked the little girl as Brock was sewing up the girl's skirt. "Just a minute," he said. We then turned away and began walking back to the Pokémon Centre.

"Wow, I sure never thought of Brock like that," said Ash.

"Sometimes the face that people show in public is completely different from the face they have on in private, or with your family," I said.

"Brock has ten little brothers and sisters to take care of, so he could never leave town to compete or follow his dreams," said Flint.

"What about his parents?" I asked.

"His good-for-nothing father left the family to become a Pokémon trainer and they never heard from him again," explained Flint. "Brock's heart-broken mother tried to hold things together but one day she slipped into a coma from the exhaustion and hasn't woken since. Brock's the only one his brothers and sisters have left until their mother wakes up."

"I better not listen to any more sad stuff. Next time I have a match with Brock I might not have the heart to beat him," said Ash.

"But… but you just said that…" began Flint. "That you can never win a match against Brock."

"Yeah well I changed my mind. I realise that since Josh helped Pikachu power up, I might have a better chance," said Ash.

I smiled. "That's the way," I said. "Now, how bout we grab some dinner and rest up at the Pokémon Centre. You have a big day tomorrow."

Ash grinned. "Yes sir!"

* * *

(Cue song Unreal Tournament Title (UT3 Remix) by Rom Di Prisco from Unreal Tournament 3 OST)

_CRASH!_ Was the sound of the double doors of the Gym flying open. "I've come back for a re-match!" came Ash's voice.

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" asked Brock.

"We're ready for you this time Brock!" Ash shot back. Pikachu agreed by powering up slightly; small bolts of lightning arcing out from the small Pokémon.

"Heh, we'll see."

The lights turned on, once again revealing the rocky battlefield. "Same rules. Two Pokémon each," recited Brock.

"Got it!" yelled Ash back.

(Cue song On the Verge of the Assault (from FFVII "Those Who Fight") by Takeharu Ishimoto from Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Original Soundtrack)

"I'll start with Geodude!" announced Brock and cast out the pokeball.

"Pidgeotto! Go!" was Ash's response. "Go Pidgeotto! Gust attack!"

Pidgeotto began the attack by flying quickly around the rock Pokémon. Almost immediately a large whirlwind formed around Geodude. However this was a poor move on Ash's part as Geodude began trying to grab the bird and it was only just out of reach.

"Huh?" wondered Ash.

Up in the stands I slapped my hand to my face. "He's gonna be a greenhorn for a while yet," I muttered to myself as released a small metal ball that floated off my hand and whizzed down to the battlefield. The ball was an advanced video camera. It was able to record HD video and was proof to all elements, enabling it to get in very close to any and all action. The ball was programmed to whiz around the battleground and angle itself for great views of many moves. I had decided to record all the gym battles and any important fights Ash would have.

"Didn't you know that Rock Pokémon are strong against Flying type?" asked Brock. It seemed he couldn't believe he was up against such a rookie.

"I… ah… guess I forgot…" said Ash.

Misty was standing next to me, hanging onto the rails. "C'mon Ash. Use your head!" she said softly. All of a sudden we were surrounded by Brock's siblings.

Back on the field Pidgeotto was already pooped out and Geodude was still raring to go. Ash recalled it before any more damage could be done.

"Are you giving up again Ash?" asked Brock.

"No way!" replies Ash. He then turned to his first Pokémon. "Pikachu, I choose you!"

The Pokémon nodded and jumped into the field. Brock sighed. "The Pikachu again. I feel sorry for it. Being raised by such a weak Pokémon Trainer," he said, saying the last part especially arrogant.

(Cue song Those Who Fight (FFVII AC Version) by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children OST)

"That bastard!" I said softly to myself before yelling, "ASH! KICK HIS ASS TO KINGDOM COME!" Ash nodded in my direction before calling out to his Pokémon. "Pikachu, now's our chance to show him how weak we are! Use Thunderbolt!"

A huge stream of electricity shot out of Pikachu's body and careered right into Geodude. Since the rock Pokémon was floating in the air and wasn't grounded, all the electricity had no-where to go. Within seconds Geodude was cooked and out.

"Nice!" I said while all the kids around me cried out softly in sadness.

Brock was shocked to say the least. It seemed he didn't expect such an advanced move would be coming out of the inexperienced Pikachu. He quickly got over it and recalled his Pokémon.

"It looks like you trained it better," he said as he placed the pokeball on his belt. He then removed the second ball and enlarged it. "But still, it's no match for Onyx!" Out came the huge Pokémon and Pikachu said something that was translated to _'Oh crap! Not again!'_

Not wanting a repeat of what happened last time, Pikachu let loose another Thunderbolt. But in its uneasiness the lightning was sprayed all over the place. A stray bolt struck the floor inches away from striking Ash. He quickly moved to the side. Onyx wasn't so lucky. He copped a bolt in the face. Large rocks were being pulverised. The lights above the arena were set on fire.

"Hey Pikachu! Watch where you're aiming that huh?" said Ash, a little miffed. Pikachu stopped and Onyx took this opportunity to wrap up the small Pokémon.

"Pikachu! Give it a Thunderbolt!" Pikachu complied and shocked Onyx. It certainly seemed he was getting a good charge out of the attack but it just wasn't enough.

"Keep going Pikachu! It's working!" shouted Ash.

"Onyx! Bind it!" ordered Brock.

It definitely was quite a show. Onyx wasn't taking the pressure off Pikachu, and Pikachu wasn't' giving an inch. Large bolts of lightning circulated around them both. However it seemed Pikachu just wasn't strong enough.

Ash seemed to pause for a moment before nodding. I noticed this and became worried. So did my own Pokémon.

"He isn't going to do…" began asking Chrono but Ash's voice cut through Chrono's.

"Pikachu! Use **Overdrive: Thor's Might**!"

(Cue song Vegeta - Super Saiyan by Bruce Faulconer from The Best of Dragon Ball Z, Vol. I)

"Oh crap…" I said before grasping onto the rail and turning to Misty. "You might want to hang on." I said. She looked confused but I simply pointed at Pikachu. She turned to him and gasped.

Pikachu was glowing brightly in a blue energy. There were loud rumblings outside the Gym. Then, out of nowhere, a gargantuan bolt of white lightning crashed through the ceiling and slammed into Onyx. The whole Gym shook violently as blinding white light filled the arena. Squinting through the light I saw that it looked like a pillar of white light, with blue vein like patterns flickering over the surface of the pillar, was in the middle of the field. After another few seconds the light faded and what was left behind was daunting.

A large crater was in the middle of the field. Blue electricity was crackling around the edge and over the top of the hole. And in the middle was Onyx, completely knocked out. Pikachu was still standing, but only just. But after a few seconds he too fell to the ground.

(Cue music silence)

"Ah! Pikachu!" said Ash and ran over to him. I vaulted over the side and ran over to Ash, but not before I got a good look at the ceiling. There was a huge clean cut hole in the roof. I reached Ash and asked if Pikachu was alright. I then suggested that we get him to the Centre.

Ash got up, Pikachu in his arms and looked at Brock. It seemed he was still getting over the shock. "I guess we tied. But I'll train hard and I'll beat you someday." He smiled before we both ran out of the Gym and towards the Pokémon Centre.

* * *

(Cue song No Regrets by Hans Zimmer And Heitor Pereira from It's Complicated Soundtrack)

After reviving Ash's Pokémon, we sat next to each other on the bank of a river, thinking about the match.

"I told you 'Don't use Thor's Might if you're inside a building'. And what did you do?" I said.

"Sorry," Ash replied.

"…Still, it was a good battle," I continued. "That Overdrive was definitely more powerful than I thought it was going to be."

"Yeah, you did a good job Pikachu," said Vixey.

"That's right! Even though you tied you still rocked the joint," added Chrono.

"Pika," said the Pokémon which translated into 'thanks guys'.

"No problem," I said. I then turned to Ash. "And you did well too."

"Really?" asked Ash.

I nodded. "Sure. You still have a long way to go but you did well for your first Gym battle."

Ash smiled as we looked out across the water, watching the sunset. I leaned back and fell against the soft grass. "Ah, times like these are just the best."

"Really?" asked Ash as he relaxed against the grass too.

"Yeah. Better than the battles. Better than winning. Just living life with your closest friends," I said while putting my arms around my Pokémon and holding them close. Ash looked down at Pikachu. He then hugged Pikachu and the Pokémon snuggled back against Ash's face. I then loosened my arm around Vixey and clapped it around Ash's shoulder.

"So, what are you going to do now?" I asked. Ash looked like he was going to answer when a voice came drifting down the road back from the way we came.

"Hey!" came the voice and we turned around to see it was Brock. He ran up to us and took a second to catch his breath.

"Hey Brock, what's up?" asked Ash. Brock held out his hand to show something shiny in the palm of his hand. A quick glance told me it was a grey jewel cut into the shape of an octagon. A closer inspection told me it was the Bolder Badge of the Pewter Gym.

"You forgot this," he said.

"A badge… for defeating the Gym Leader?" asked Ash in an uncertain voice. "I can't accept that. We tied."

"Nah, I lost to you. You beat me in battle," said Brock.

"But…" started Ash but it seemed Brock hadn't finished. He sat down next to Ash and looked out at the sunset. "To tell you the truth, I get more outta life raising Pokémon than from making them battle. I don't care about becoming a great Pokémon trainer. I want to become the world's best Pokémon Breeder. But I can't leave here because I have to look after my brothers and sisters." Brock then turned to Ash and once again held out the badge. "Ash, I want you to take this and fulfil my dream. Will you do that for me?"

Ash looked on for a moment before smiling. "I will. And I'll do my best to deserve this too." He took the badge before we realised that someone was watching us. It was Flint.

"Brock, it's time for you to go follow your own dreams." He then surprised us by taking off his red beanie and beard! As soon as I saw his real face I cried out and pointed at him.

"Ah! It's you!"

Ash looked at me confused. "Who?" he asked.

"He was the Gym Leader back when I earned my Bolder Badge," I explained.

"He's also my father…" said Brock.

"I see," I said before looking between the two of them. "You sure do resemble him," I said.

"What?" exclaimed Ash. "You mean you're the good-for-nothing father who left home and never came back?"

"That's right, it was me. I couldn't become the great Pokémon trainer I wanted to and because I was such a failure I was too embarrassed and ashamed to return to my family," explained Flint. He then walked up to Brock. "It's time I started taking care of my family. You go fulfil your dreams and mine."

"First, there are some things I have to tell you," said Brock.

"After all these years I understand how you must feel about me so I want you to get everything off your chest." However it seemed that Flint wasn't ready for Brock to hand him a needle and thread.

"Susie always rips her dress so you'd better learn how to sow and Timmy only eats cold spaghetti for breakfast. Tommy likes cornflakes for dinner…" Brock was saying this so fast that Flint was having trouble writing this down. "Slow down, slow down! I can't write that fast!" However Brock wasn't done. We sat there, listening to ten minutes of this before lying back down on the grass.

* * *

Later That Night

We were back on the road, heading for the next town. We now had a new companion as Brock decided to tag along.

"Hey Ash, Josh, are you sure it's ok if I go with you on your Pokémon journey?" asked Brock for the third time so far.

"Damn Brock, we said it's cool so it's cool!" said Chrono. Brock had quickly gotten over the fact that all my Pokémon could talk un-telepathically and the fact that I was a big celebrity.

"That's right. Besides, the more the merrier," agreed Ash.

"Well, what about that girl that keeps following you?" asked Brock. He was, of course, referring to the stubborn red-head known as Misty that continued to stick with us. "Don't forget about my bike Ash Ketchum! I'm going to follow you until you pay me back!"

"I know! I know!" whined Ash. I just laughed, glad that we had made one more friend.


	5. Chapter 5: Dark Secrets

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'

* * *

**Chapter 5: Dark Secrets**

(Cue song (Fine Layers of) Slaysenflite by Steven Rippy from Age of Mythology Soundtrack)

"So, how do you actually become a Pokémon Master?" asked Ash.

I thought about it for a few seconds before answering. "Well… there are many ways to become one. Sometimes it's simply who you know. The most popular way is to beat the Elite Four to gain Pokémon Master status. Winning Pokémon League Championships just proves you as a top Pokémon Trainer and a good challenger to take on the Elite Four. And winning Local Championship Trophies like the Orange Island League Trophy help, but not as much as they are an independent branch of the Official Pokémon League and don't count as much as Official League tournaments. But you can only challenge the Elite Four of each region when you've won the Regional Tournament for that Elite Four. Like you can only challenge the Kanto Elite Four when you've won the Championship at Indigo Plateau and not from anywhere else."

"I see," said Ash.

"There are also ranks within the Master class. Beating an Elite Four gains you the Master E-rank. The E-rank can also be reached in a number of other ways," Vixey added.

"How many ranks are there?" Misty asked.

"There are six ranks. It goes from E to D, C, B, A and then the top S-rank," Chrono replied for Vixey. "Moving up the ranks can be done several ways, but the easiest way is to beat three Masters of the next level up from you to ascend to that rank. However if you're nominated by three Masters of a higher rank, then you gain the next rank."

"You guys are really knowledgeable," commented Brock.

"Well we've been travelling for 15 years now. We've all picked up quite a few things," I answered.

It had been two days since we departed from Pewter City. We were now trekking up the side of Mt. Moon. Many strange things had been said about it but going over the top would save us half a day to the next town.

"Mount Moon," sighed Misty. "Doesn't the name sound romantic?"

"Yeah, if you're a girl," muttered Chrono.

"People say that a huge meteor crashed into the mountain back in prehistoric times," said Brock.

"A meteor?" asked Ash in wonder.

"Is it really true?" asked Misty.

"The meteor is called the Moon Stone."

"Now that sounds romantic," said Misty.

(Cue song Defiers of Fate by Mitsuto Suzuki, Ryo Yamazaki from Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack)

All of a sudden we heard a loud yell that came from in front of us. Pikachu, who had been taking a nap on the top of Ash's backpack, woke instantly.

"C'mon guys!" said Ash and we ran to the source. Apparently someone in a long white lab coat was being attacked by a large group of Zubat.

"Chrono! Use Haste and chase the Zubat away from him!" I ordered. Chrono nodded before a small flare of gold energy surrounded him. He then took off, moving so fast that a silver and gold streak was left in his wake. The streak headed straight for the Zubat. As Chrono engaged the flying Pokémon, Brock separated one from the group and captured it, however no one noticed but me and Vixey. After a swift pounding from Chrono the rest of the Zubat escaped back into a nearby cave, leaving the guy behind.

(Cue song Fungo, The Enigma by Shirou Hamaguchi from Final Fantasy Unlimited OST)

"Are you ok?" I asked, but I wasn't prepared for the guy to start hugging me like I just saved him from total annihilation.

"Wow! You guys are the greatest!" he said.

"Rirmph imp wmp numpimg! (Really, it was nothing)" I replied back.

"I'm talking super-fantabulistic! I mean two thumbs up! Way up! The best rescue I've ever had!"

I was then able to free my head and said in as polite a voice as possible. "Glad to help, but could you let go now?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he said and immediately released me. I caught my breath back before I squatted to Chrono's level and scratching him behind the ears.

"Nice job partner," I grinned. Chrono just mumbled something unintelligent as he basked in the euphoric feeling of getting his ears scratched, his most favourite place to be scratched in the world. It was also a good source of blackmail and bribery.

"They say that man's best friend is a Pokémon, and seeing you two I believe it," he said.

"Well we've been through much together," I replied as Vixey and Chrono sat at my side and I placed my hands on them both.

"Oh, I'm so moved. Such friendship I thought I'd never see, when the Zubat began attacking me," he continued.

"Oh Arceus, he's a scientist _and _a poet," whispered Chrono sarcastically. We all laughed softly, thankfully the guy was too into his rant to notice.

"I thought I was done for when who should arrive, two heroes thanks to whom I'm alive." He then threw out his arms and yelled to anyone who was listening. "I'M ALIVE! THANK YOU SO MUCH! THANKYOU!"

"He sure doesn't look like the poetic type," murmured Misty.

"Oh they come in all shapes and sizes," I replied.

"I vote we back away slowly before bolting as fast as possible from him," Chrono whispered.

The scientist then turned back to me. "Did I mention how grateful I am?"

"Yeah... you did. Several times," I said in as polite a voice as possible.

"So why were the Zubat attacking you mister?" asked Ash.

The aforementioned 'mister' gasped and got in Ash's face. "Never call me mister! My name's Seymour! Seymour the Scientist!" He then started to pose slightly. "Knowledge. Research. I'm Seymour the Scientist!"

By this time we were all sweatdropping heavily.

(Cue song Chemical Food by Armand Amar & Mathieu Coupat from Home Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Five minutes later we were inside the cave. The whole place was lit up with florescent lights, making the place quite bright. Other than that, it was an ordinary looking cave.

"See? The cave is all lit up inside. Somebody has strung lights through the entire complex. But the Pokémon in this cave need the dark. These lights are upsetting them and making them confused," explained Seymour as we trekked through the cave halls.

"So that's what had the Zubat so worked up," said Brock. I nodded at this. "Anyone would be pissed if someone shined a bright light in your eyes after you'd been in a dark room."

As we were walking, there were dozens of Paris' removing the mushrooms on their back and sticking them into the ground.

"They're just planting them anywhere," said Seymour in response to us looking at the Pokémon. "And the Sandshrew are drying up from the hot lights."

_'This isn't good,'_ said Pikachu after a quiet translation.

"That's why I'm here. I'm on patrol to protect the mountain from the troublemakers' attack on this cave," said Seymour with conviction.

"Troublemakers?" wondered Misty out loud. "Why attack a cave?"

"I think it's because of the Moon Stone," admitted Seymour.

"Moon Stone?" asked Ash.

"Exactly," said Seymour seriously. He then spoilt the mood by going into poet mode. "The Moon Stone is an awesome bolder, a million years old or even older. Deep in these caves the meteor hides, though no explorer has found the place, of the legendary rock from space! We've studied it's fragments for many an hour, and discovered in increases a Pokémon's power. And that is why the attackers are here, they've come to take the Moon Stone, or so I fear!"

"So... the Moon Stone?" repeated Ash.

"Ever since I was a boy, I believed that Pokémon came from outer space."

"Outer space?" exclaimed Ash, Brock and Misty. I kept my silence up. 'It was Arceus who breathed life into the Pokémon of this world. However there are a few species that come from beyond our sky and dimension,' I thought, knowing that my partners were thinking the exact same thing.

"Yes. And where you ask is the space craft that brought them to Earth? In this cave. It's the Moon Stone!"

"It sure is an original theory," said Misty.

"So with this said the Moon Stone originally belonged to the Pokémon. We humans must not take it from them." He then turned around to look at us, as if to ask if we agreed with him. Ash flinched away from his piercing gaze.

"You agree with me, don't you?" he asked.

"Uh-huh uh-huh!" Ash nodded very quickly.

(Cue song Kelelon Forest by Nobuo Uematsu from Lost Odyssey Original Soundtrack)

Just then a strange sight happened. A Clefairy bounced right passed us. We all turned to look at it.

"Huh," I said. "Clefairy here I see. No surprise there, this is Mt. Moon."

"A dime a dozen," murmured Chrono. I then noticed that it was holding a piece of something in its hands.

"What's that?" asked Ash in reference to the Pokémon. He retrieved his PokeDEX for an answer.

"Clefairy. This Pokémon is friendly and peaceful. It is believed to live inside Mt. Moon although very few have been seen by humans."

"Yeah. It's considered a rare Pokémon outside of this area," I added.

Upon hearing this said Ash dived to the front of the group and grabbed a spare PokeBall. "I gotta catch it!" he said excitedly as he enlarged it. But before he could act Seymour grabbed Ash's arm. "No you can't!" he said. Ash could only watch helplessly as the Pokémon bounced down the cave.

Ask looked to the scientist for an explanation. "Sorry," he said. "But it's best if you just let it stay here. I hope you understand."

Ash smiled in understanding. "Sure Seymour. I understand."

(Cue song Nervous by Toshiro Masuda from Naruto Original Soundtrack I)

At that moment there was a cry from the Clefairy around the corner. We rounded the corner in concern and there we met up with someone familiar.

"What do you know. It's Meowth," I said in a slightly surprised voice.

"What are you doing here!" he replied in annoyance.

"Looking for troublemakers like you," said Ash.

Pikachu bounded up to the Clefairy. _"Are you ok?"_ he asked. _"Yeah, but that Meowth scares me,"_ replied Clefairy. Pikachu patted his chest. _"Don't worry. He won't get past me and my friends."_ Clefairy smiled _"Thank you,"_ she said.

"I guess Team Rocket are the troublemakers here. What a surprise," said Ash sarcastically.

"We gotta stop them before they cause any more trouble," replied Brock, who had been briefed on who Team Rocket was in the two days since leaving Pewter City.

"Trouble?" called a voice from the shadows. "Make it double."

*Cue Team Rocket's messed up motto and music*

"They sure are show-offs," said Seymour.

"Hey James, you need to get some better music for your motto. It's kinda annoying," I said to my old friend.

"You really think so?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's quite boring. And don't you guys get tired of saying the same things over and over again?" asked Ash.

James sighed but Jessie stayed strong. "You're just jealous."

"That was weak, why would I be jealous?" I said.

"Because we have a theme song and you don't," she replied.

"Why would I want a motto that lame?" I asked.

"You put the lights in the cave. It's your fault the Pokémon in here are so confused," said Brock.

"Boohoo, how will we ever forgive ourselves?" asked Jessie sarcastically.

"We wanna get our hands on a Moon Stone so we can power up our Pokémon with it," explained Meowth.

"With the Moon Stone in our hands, nothing will stop us," said James.

I sighed. "You know what this means James. Are you really prepared to face up against me?"

James flinched back before waving his arms in front of him. "Wait a minute. You said that we had to go through the little twerp before you."

I scratched my head. "I did? ...Yes you're right. I did." I then turned to Ash and the others. "They're all yours."

Ash looked at the trio. "We won't let you get away with this!"

"You want a rock, then take one of these," said Brock, gesturing to the wall next to him. "Then get lost!"

"Get lost? How rude!" said Jessie. "Let's teach him some manners!" continued James. The two dropped the pickets they were holding.

Both Ash and Brock picked out their choice of Pokémon and Ash whispered to Misty. "Take care of Seymour and Clefairy. When you see a chance, run for the exit. We'll hold them off here." Misty nodded.

(Cue song THE ELEGY OF THE BATTLE by MASAfrom Dynasty Warriors 5 OST)

Both Jessie and James jumped high into the air. "Ready or not, here we come!" they both said as they released their Pokémon.

"Butterfree! I choose you!" said Ash, throwing his poke ball. "Here we go!" said Brock, throwing his too.

All four Pokémon came out at the same time. On Team Rocket's side was Ekens and Koffing while on Ash's side was Butterfree and Brock's newly caught Zubat.

"A Zubat?" asked Ash in surprise. "I caught it while Chrono was busting them up outside the cave," replied Brock. Ash sighed. "Aww man, I should've caught one."

"Well you snooze you lose Ash!" Chrono called.

"Koffing! Smog attack!" ordered James and his Pokémon complied by spewing out a toxic cloud that quickly began to expand. Ash and Brock ordered Butterfree to gust and Zubat to double team. Thanks to the sudden movement from both Pokémon the smog was reversed and covered Jessie and James.

"Oh yeah!" said Ash while Misty, Seymour and Clefairy bolted from the battle. Suddenly Ekans shot forward and struck Butterfree with a Bite attack. Koffing did the same to Zubat. Both Pokémon were pushed back slightly but encouragement from both trainers made them stood their ground.

"Zubat! Use Supersonic!" said Brock. Zubat did so and soon both of Team Rocket's Pokémon were wrestling on the ground with each other.

"What's the matter with you weaklings!" shouted Jessie.

Ash took the opening and ordered Butterfree to do a strong whirlwind attack. The Pokémon did so and blew the confused Pokémon straight into Jessie and James.

"You may have won this round, but we'll be back!" yelled Jessie as they were blown down the tunnel.

"Oh yeah!" shouted Ash in victory and he and Brock slapped each other a high-five. "Excellent teamwork!" said Brock.

"You two would be great at Tag-Team battling," I said.

"What's that?" asked Ash.

"What you just did. Two trainers vs another two. It's a popular battle style in the Sinnoh region," I explained. I then blinked as I remembered something. "Hey, where's Meowth?"

Ash and Brock both looked around before looking in the direction where misty took off in.

(Cue song Benny Hill Theme Tune)

"We'd better catch up and back them up," I said before we started running down the tunnel. We reached the end of the tunnel quickly and was just in time to see Misty's Staryu deliver a water gun straight into Meowth's mouth. He began to swell up like a balloon before the pressure was too much and he blasted backwards with the water shooting out of his mouth. He climbed into the sky and was out of sight in a matter of seconds.

I just stood there, looking at where Meowth had been moments ago, before I began to laugh loudly with Vixey, Chrono, Ash and Brock doing the same. "BWA HA HA HA HA ! Oh that was classic," I said after laughing, a big grin on my face.

"Oh that was comedy gold," I said to Misty as we walked up to her.

"Hehe, thanks!" she said.

* * *

(Cue song Out of the Cold by Jeremy Soule from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Original Soundtrack)

It was dusk now and we were all gathered around a fire thanks to Vixey. Both I and Brock had removed a few tins of Pokémon food and were now feeding our Pokémon.

"What's that?" asked Ash. It was Brock who answered this one.

"This is Pokémon food. My own secret recipe," he replied.

"That so?" I asked. "You must be quite good."

"Well..." he said, embarrassed.

Everyone was silent for a minute before Ash asked, "So when will I be able to meet all of your Pokémon?"

I scratched my chin for a moment before deciding. "Right now if you want." Ash nodded quickly, seemingly very interested. Brock and Misty both turned their whole attention on me.

(Cue song Take Ten by Paul Desmond)

"Ok then," I said and stood up. I detached all my poke balls and everyone's eyes widened as I brought out more than six balls. They were nine in all. I then threw all of them into the air and called, "Come on out everyone!" There was a brilliant flash as all the Pokémon were released and what was seen made everyone watching gasp.

The first one seen was a black and red Dragonair. The second was the Pidgeot that helped Ash out in the Viridian Forest. The third was a blue eyed Absol. The fourth was a large Arcanine. The fifth was a majestic Articuno. The sixth was a Lugia. The seventh was a Mightyena. The eighth was a Blaziken. And the ninth was a Gardivoir.

"This is my team," I said before pointing at the Pidgeot. "You know Kaze already." Kaze smiled, placed his right wing over his chest and bowed. "Good evening," he said in a polite voice (Voiced by Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in The Legend of the Guardians movie).

I then pointed to the Lugia. "This is Sora. Sora, say hi to the guys." Sora nodded with a small smile and said, "Hello there." (Voiced by Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in Final Fantasy XIII/-2).

"Next is Shiva," I continued, pointing at the Articuno. She bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you," she said. (Voiced by Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)

"Over there is Hikari," I pointed to the blue eyed Absol. She smiled widely. "Hi guys!" (Voice is the same as Hayden Panettiere)

"Then there's Baihu and Fenrir," I continued, pointing at Arcanine and Mightyena. Baihu smiled. "Good to meet you," he said in a deep rumbling voice (Voiced by J.B. Blanc who voiced Sajin Komamura from Bleach). Fenrir nodded as well. "Same here." (Voiced by Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus)

"Then we have Ifrit and Bahamut," I said, pointing to Blaziken and Dragonair. Bahamut grinned, "What's up man?" (Voiced by Jamie Foxx). And Ifrit crossed his arms and grinned. "Yo!" (Voiced by Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from DragonBall Z, Kuromaru from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, and Roronoa Zoro from One Piece.)

"And finally, Eywa," I finished up with Gardivoir. This one was different from the others. For one her body was more akin to a human woman's body. And a very well filled out one at that. Her hair had additional growth than a normal Gardevoir did. The green hair curled up and around her head like normal, but where it was supposed to of ended, the growth continued, falling over the front of her body to stop just under her breasts. She also wore a brown satin robe with orange lining. This piece of clothing covered up her curvy body, but did nothing to hide the size of her breasts, which were quite large. She smiled serenely and said in a kind and beautiful voice, "A pleasure to meet you all." (She's voiced by Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in Mass Effect 3 except when she sings which is like Enya)

I then turned to my Pokémon and said, "Guys? This is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, Misty, Brock from Pewter City and Seymour... the Scientist."

"Hello Ash, Brock, Misty and Seymour!" they all chorused.

"Hello!" said Ash, Brock and Misty together.

"Wow! You're Pokémon also know how to talk. Just like that Meowth," said Seymour.

"Well that's everyone," I said before Eywa walked up to me.

"It's been a while since you've let us out Josh," she said.

"Sorry. I've been busy," I apologised.

"Well you know what to do to make it up to me," she said as she looked pointedly at me.

I laughed as I gave her a warm hug. "Now was that so hard?" she asked. She then pushed me away and held me at arm's length as she scrutinised my body. "Have you been eating well?"

I sighed. "Yes Eywa, I have." She smiled. "That's good." Ifrit walked up to stand behind Eywa and wrapped his arms around her waist while resting his head on her shoulder. "How ya doing there beautiful," he said with a grin. Eywa smiled and placed her hand against Ifrit's cheek. "Not bad handsome," she replied with a smile.

"Get a room you two!" yelled Shiva and Hikari together.

Baihu smiled. "I think it's nice they're so honest with their feelings."

Bahamut weaved his way through the air towards me. "Your head still being a big cosmic antenna and picking up stuff from other universes?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Want to test out a new one?" I then turned to Ash. "I have a new idea for a song but we need an audience for giving feedback. Can you guys help?" I asked.

"Sure! I'd love to!" said Ash.

"It'll be great to hear you play something," said Brock.

"I can't wait!" replied Misty.

I grinned. "Ok, give me a few seconds to set up," I said before I began to dig around in my backpack before I pulled out a small metal box. It looked like a cross between a Pokeball and a Rubik's cube. On the top was a keypad. I entered a few numbers and pressed the button on the front. A beam of light shot out and exploded on the ground, materialising five instruments and an amplifier on the ground. There was a large symbol on a stand with drumsticks, two acoustic guitars, an electric guitar that was plugged into the amp and a keyboard.

"Ok guys! Huddle!" I said and all of my Pokémon huddled around me and we whispered for a bit.

"Right, everyone knows what to do?" everyone nodded. "Ok. Let's do this!" Chrono, Bahamut, Fenrir, Ifrit and myself then picked an instrument up. Chrono picked up the drumsticks with his tails and readied himself at the symbol stand. I picked up the electric guitar while Fenrir used his psychic attack to manipulate an acoustic guitar into the air. Bahamut began to generate a small amount of electricity and touched the amp with his tail, sending power into it and into my electric guitar. He then used Psychic to use the second acoustic guitar. And Ifrit placed himself behind the keyboard.

"Ready?" I asked my team. They nodded. "Ok. Let's play."

[Cue song Why (CCFFVII Mix) by Ayaka from Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Original Soundtrack]

The song that flowed from us was beautiful. At first it was just Bahamut, Fenrir, Ifrit and I playing. Then about a quarter through the song Chrono began to lightly tap on the symbol. We continued playing until half way through Chrono cut off before starting up three quarters through. When we stopped, everyone cheered for us.

"That was a beautiful piece!" said Misty.

"Yeah. It was great!" said Ash and Brock.

"Thanks. It sounded a bit lonely though," I mused. I then picked up the small metal box and pressed a button on it while pointing it at my instruments. They all turned into white light and were sucked up into the box, like capturing a Pokémon.

"What is that?" asked Ash.

"This?" I said as I looked down at the device. "It's like a poke ball, but for storing items instead. The items need to be tagged though so you can't store just anything in it."

"Cool!" he said.

At that moment a phone ring sounded out into the night. Instantly all of my Pokémon tensed slightly. I reached into my pocket and took out my black and gold mobile phone. (AN: Looks like a black iPhone 4S with gold edges) I looked at the caller ID and then looked up at my friends.

"Can you excuse me for a second? I need to take this call."

Misty nodded. "Sure thing Josh." Ash and Brock nodded. I smiled before I walked a ways from them, Vixey and Chrono following. I pressed the accept button on the screen and placed the speaker next to my ear.

[Cue song Tracer by Brian Tyler from Fast & Furious (Original Motion Picture Score)]

_"State your name, registration number, trainer class and Pokémon god,"_ said a voice on the other end.

"Name: Josh Kitsune. Registration number is 972279. Trainer class: S-ranked Master. Pokémon god: Dialga," I replied.

_"Voice recognition and details confirmed. Report to site 23 for mission details."_ The line then went dead.

I turned off my phone and placed it back into my pocket. Vixey walked up to me and asked, "Are we leaving?"

"Yeah. Site 23," I replied.

"That line is extra secure. That means it's a high profile intelligence mission," said Chrono. I nodded before we all walked back to the campsite.

"Sorry guys but I need to do something. I'll meet you at Cerulean City, ok Ash?" I asked.

"Uh... ok. Sure, but, why Cerulean City?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Well that's where you'll go for your next gym badge. You do want to get more gym badges, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course!" he answered. I then smiled. "Well then I'll see you there."

I turned to my Pokémon and recalled everyone except Shiva, Kaze and Sora. I jumped up onto Shiva's back while Vixey got on Sora and Chrono got on Kaze.

"Ok guys, we need to get to site 23 quickly. Let's go!" I yelled and we all took off and soared into the night air.

Nothing was said for the half hour flight through the night sky before we descended back down to the ground. I jumped off and looked around. I was standing inside a clearing. I took out my phone and opened up a special app on it. It showed my position and a hidden point marked on the phone. So I walked up to it and when I got close, a small section of the ground opened up. A black sphere rose up out of the ground attached to a thin pole. There was a slot in the sphere. I took out my phone and slid it into the slot. I then placed my hand on the top of the sphere. There was a green light moving up and down underneath my hand before light burst out of the sphere and settled into a large complicated holographic interface. (AN: Looks similar to the holographic interface used in Iron Man 2)

(Cue song The Illusive Man by Jack Wall from Mass Effect 2 Original Soundtrack)

A window opened up on the interface which showed a sound wave visualiser._ "Hello Josh. It's been awhile,"_ came a voice from unseen speakers and the visualiser twitched in time with the voice. My eyes widened before I smiled.

"John, eh? Well if it's you then I guess this mission really is a high-profile one," I replied.

_"Indeed. Our spy network has reported some disturbing news. It seems Giovanni has been working on a secret project. Our contact wasn't able to get all the specifics without blowing his cover but it seems the higher ups in Team Rocket are trying to clone a Pokémon."_

"I see," I said as cloning information opened up on another window. I raised my hand and flicked my fingers, flipping through each page shown. "Seems that technology is still a year away and all plans and prototypes are guarded big time. Does that mean that Giovanni was able to get plans for a cloning machine somehow?"

_"We don't know. But this isn't what has me worried. The problem is what are they trying to clone and what type of modifications would they implement? This is what you need to find out."_

"Sure thing John. I'll find out all that I can," I assured him.

_"Thank you." _A map of the area between Cinnabar Island and the Orange Archipelago replaced the cloning info. The map zoomed in onto a particular island._ "The base is on New Island. Password is 'Pokémon = Power'. I'm placing a nav point on the GPS in your phone." _

"Thanks John," I replied as the map window closed.

"_Oh, by the way. You should know that Cynthia was asking about you,"_ John added.

"Oh really? How was her mission?" I asked.

_"A success. She'll tell you the details when she catches up with you. I was going to tell her where you were but she insisted on finding out herself."_

"Well that is half the fun for her. Mysteries are her thing. But what about challengers to the Elite Four in Sinnoh? What if one gets past those guys on the off chance?" I asked with a smile.

_"Currently the four are taking time off to relax or train. Last year was big as many trainers challenged them for the title of Champion of Sinnoh. So we've broadcasted the break over the TV and radio in Sinnoh. They have until the end of the next annual Tournament. We've also decided that Elite Four and Champion class matches will only occur for one month after each Regional Tournament. We felt this was better for them as they have missions to do as well. Announcements to the other Regions have already gone out to local TV and radio channels,"_ explained John.

"That's a good idea. I know Lucian has been dying to catch up on some reading, but he's been too busy with trainers challenging him." I then remembered something important.

"John, have you heard anything from Lord Ho-Oh?" I said.

_"No, why?"_

"Well it's just that he made himself seen to a trainer I'm now travelling with. His name is Ash Ketchum and he said to me that he saw Ho-Oh flying in the sky only hours after leaving home on his Pokémon journey."

There was a soft silence on the other side of the phone. "John?" I asked.

_"Yes yes. I'm not sure what this means. If Ho-Oh has really chosen this child, then it would be good if you taught him the skills he'll need in the future coming battles."_

"Way ahead of you. He has a Pikachu and I've unlocked his Overdrive. I've never seen such a strong Pikachu. His power is on par with a Zapdos in their prime."

_"Interesting. It seems that the wheels of fate are beginning to turn. These next few years are going to be hectic, and you'll be right in the thick of it."_

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I grinned.

_"I'm somewhat envious of you. Well, you have your orders. Remember this is just a recon mission. You are not to engage or tamper with anything. May Dialga watch over you, Josh."_

"Thank you. May Uxie watch over you, John." At this point the holographic interface closed down and my mobile phone was ejected from the sphere.

"So what's the mission?' asked Chrono.

"Seems Giovanni is trying to clone a Pokémon but we don't know which one and what types of enhancements he'll use," I said as I removed my phone and the sphere sank back into the ground and the ground closed up again.

"Giovanni? As in _Team Rocket_ Giovanni?" asked Vixey.

"The very same jackhole. We leave right now for New Island. The experiments are being done there." I then reached into my bag and brought out the item storage cube. I pressed a button and a Team Rocket lieutenant uniform appeared on the ground. I quickly put on the clothes over my own, making sure that everything fit. I then recalled everyone except Kaze, Vixey and Chrono into their Pokeballs.

"You two stay here as it will look strange for you guys to be walking around with me. This mission is strictly stealth," I said to Vixey and Chrono.

"You got it boss," said Chrono as I placed my Pokeballs on the ground in front of them.

"I won't be long," I said as I jumped onto Kaze's back and took off again.

(Cue song Aftermath by Steve Jablonsky, Trevor Morris from Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars OST)

Two hours later, flying at very fast speeds, we reached New Island. It was quite bare except for a small hut in the middle of the island with a steel door. I walked up to the door and knocked quietly. A small slider opened up and a pair of dark eyes looked back.

"Pokémon = Power," I said, changing the sound of my voice to a slightly nasal sound with an accent. The person closed the shutter and the door opened, showing a set of stairs.

"So, what base do you hail from?" asked the guard.

"Viridian City base," I replied.

"Wow, straight from HQ," whistled the guard. "So, you're here to check up on our progress for the boss?" he asked.

"Yeah. Boss is a very busy boss-man so I was sent here to get a detailed report on your findings. However the boss wants this done real quiet like so he wishes that no-one know about this little inspection. You keep quiet and I'll refer you to the boss for a substantial pay rise," I said, all the while smirking on the inside.

The guard smiled widely. "Well I think I can arrange that. If you'll come with me I'll give you the grand tour." We then both walked down the stairs, him in front.

We reached the bottom of the stairs and entered an elevator. The doors closed and the guard pressed the number 12, which was the lowest floor.

"There's not many floors down. Don't you think that it's a little shallow?" I asked.

"Well there are many anti-radar blocking instruments and shielding between the first and sixth floors. Dr. Fuji seems to be confident that it will hide anyone trying to spy or finding out about this base," said the guard.

'Dr. Fuji, the leading scientist in cloning technology. Well I guess Giovanni didn't steal any plans then. Just bribed the scientist more than likely,' I thought to myself.

We remained silent for the rest of the journey down. At the bottom the doors opened and I quickly released my camera ball that had disappeared thanks to a stealth cloak that was installed.

"So, this is the main facility. The cloning machines are over there. And we've chosen this Pokémon as the first to be cloned." The last few words pulled my eyes away from all the advanced equipment and I came to rest my eyes upon a Mew card. A rare artefact indeed. There were only a few in existence. The last one seen was with a collector called Lawrence III.

"We've been trying for years to create a successful clone. But unfortunately every try has ended up in failure," said the guard.

'What? Years? This has been under the organisation's noses the whole time and yet we didn't know anything about this until now?' I thought in shock. 'Damn. I guess I need to give Giovanni some more credit.'

"We've been trying to clone from the original and create an almost completely different version of Mew. One that will be smarter, faster and stronger," said the guard as he looked around the floor. "Well that's all. We haven't exactly been very successful these past few years but Dr. Fuji is confident that this year it'll be different. He claims he's on the verge of a massive breakthrough."

"Glad to hear it," I said as I recalled my camera ball back to my hand and placed it into my pocket. I had seen enough. "Well I'll let the boss know that all is going well, aside for a few minor bumps in the road."

"Thank you sir," said the guard.

* * *

_"They are trying to clone Mew?"_ asked John in disbelief as the data my camera ball had captured streamed wirelessly into the sphere before being broadcasted to his location. _"One of the Sacred Pantheon? If they managed to successfully clone one they would have created a man-made god."_ John calmed down at that moment. _"I still can't believe that this has gone unnoticed for several years."_

"I know," I replied.

John sighed. _"We'll continue monitoring Team Rocket and Giovanni. They're not doing anything wrong legally but this has become much more serious."_

"I'll say," I replied.

_"Um... by the way. Do you have any footage of Ash?"_ asked John.

"Yeah, his first gym battle. Do you want me to upload them?" I asked.

_"Yes, if you could. As well as anything else in the future."_

"Sure thing," I said as I pressed a few buttons on the camera ball. The correct files selected for transfer, I waited a few seconds before the upload was complete. "There you go. Later John." I then shut down the link and the holographic interface. After pocketing my phone I unpacked my sleeping bag and settled down on the ground, but not before releasing all of my Pokémon.

(Cue song Auriel's Ascension by Jeremy Soule from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion)

"I thought we could all sleep together tonight," I said.

"Sure" "Great" "Sound's good" "Yay!" said everyone before they all clustered around me.

"Goodnight Vixey."

"Goodnight Josh."

"Goodnight Chrono."

*snore*

"Goodnight Bahamut."

"Goodnight J."

"Goodnight Kaze."

"Good night my friend."

"Goodnight Hikari."

"Goodnight Joshie."

"Goodnight Sora."

"Yeah, night Josh."

"Goodnight Shiva."

"Goodnight Josh."

"Goodnight Fenrir."

"Night."

"Goodnight Ifrit."

"Night man."

"Goodnight Baihu."

"Goodnight Josh."

"Goodnight Eywa."

"Goodnight darling."

And then I fell asleep with all of my friends around me.

* * *

(AN: Because of the seemingly impending new rule where any story that has anything sexual in it will be removed from the site, I'm backing my stories up on a new site. If it goes through then I will post the address of the new site on where my stories are on. This notice will be repeated on my other stories as well. Let us hope that FanFiction. net isn't this stupid and will just add a new MA rating instead.)


	6. Chapter 6: Water Fight!

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'  
**Kaze - **Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'  
**Sora - **Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'  
**Shiva - **Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'  
**Hikari - **Hayden Panettiere  
**Baihu - **J.B. Blanc who voiced Sajin Komamura from 'Bleach'  
**Fenrir - **Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'  
**Bahamut - **Jamie Foxx  
**Ifrit - **Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from 'DragonBall Z', Kuromaru from 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles', and Roronoa Zoro from 'One Piece'  
**Eywa - **Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'

(AN: Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across it. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future)

* * *

**Chapter 6: Water Fight!**

(THE BLADE SEEKER by Junichi Nakatsuru from Soul Calibur III Original Soundtrack)

_I was confident. Confident in our mission. Confident that we would prevent this disaster from ever occurring._

_'We should never have to live like that ever again,' I thought as I watched the many coloured lights streak past me at blinding speeds. Every now and then I would catch glimpses of things that I had read about or things I remembered from my teachings._

_BOOM!_

_"Whoa! Wh-wh-woah...!" I exclaimed as a shockwave passed through me; my hand tightening around my partner's own. The lights had changed from multi-coloured, to a stormy grey. Flashes of white and loud booming noises sounded in my ears._

_"Should this be happening?" I shouted to my partner. From the look in his eyes, he was about as lost as I was._

_BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!_

_A bright bolt of lightning sliced past us, barely inches from striking my partner. Another loud rumble sounded around me._

_"Are..." I yelled at my partner who was a little freaked out at how close it had been. "Are you OK?"_

_He nodded back. A little shaken up but we had been through tougher situations than this._

_Another flash of lightning zipped past, this one even closer than the last, and exploded to the side of us. The shockwave sent us out of the middle of the tunnel, where we were safe, to the edge. We slammed right into the side and began to spin very fast. I felt my partner's grip slip slightly and desperately tried to hold on._

_"No! Don't let go!" I yelled at him, looking straight into his eyes. I could see the fear in his eyes. But it wasn't fear of dying, or fear that we wouldn't get to our destination. It was fear that we would be separated._

_"Just a little longer!" I yelled. "Come on! Hang on!"_

_Another crash and bolt of lightning struck near us, creating even more spin. My partner was quickly slipping. He looked into my eyes._

_"N-n-no! I can't... hold on...!" came a voice that I was unfamiliar with, but it sounded like it just came from my partner. But this wasn't the time to be surprised._

_"You have to!" I yelled back._

_BOOOOOMMMMMM!_

_A lightning bolt blew up right where we were and our hands were torn apart from each other. I grouped for my partner as he spiralled away from me._

_"Nooooooooooooooo!"_

_Then nothing._

(Cue music silence)

I woke up, gasping for breath. For a few seconds I tried to get my breathing under control.

'What was that dream?' I thought. It had seemed so real. Like I had lived through something like that. But that was impossible.

(Cue song Lucy Meets Mr. Tumnus by Harry Gregson-Williams from The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe Soundtrack)

By this time I had stopped heaving and now my breaths came slow and even. I looked around at all of my friends. They were all curled up against each other. Sora and Bahamut made up the outer ring while everyone else was inside. My head was propped up against Shiva's wing and Vixey and Chrono were snuggled up close to me. Ifrit and Eywa were sleeping close to each other, holding hands. Aslan, Fenrir, Kaze and Hikari were sleeping in a group to keep warm.

I smiled, grateful to the gods that I had such wonderful friends and partners, before slipping back into the great abyss of dreams.

* * *

(Cue song Wheatfield by Mark Mancina & Paul Salamunovich from Twister [Original Score])

"Do you see it yet?" I asked. Kaze nodded. "Yeah, it's right over there!" he called over the rushing wind. I peered through my pilot goggles to see that he was right. Cerulean city.

Currently myself, Vixey and Chrono were riding on the backs of Kaze, Sora and Shiva. We flew down low to survey the city up close. "I wonder how the girls are doing these days?" I asked myself.

"Knowing them, they probably turned the gym into a showroom for themselves," said Chrono.

"You're probably right. Guess I'll have to flaunt my manly charms in front of them to get them to have a battle with Ash when he gets here," I said with a cheeky grin. I then spotted a large gathering outside a large electronics department store. There were police cars blaring their sirens and a lot of shouting was happening.

I landed outside the edge of the crowd and recalled my Pokémon. Then Vixey, Chrono and I pushed our way through the crowd to the middle.

(Cue song Kutsurogi by WATABE Chieru from Prince of Tennis Original Soundtrack 1)

In the middle was the Cerulean City Officer Jenny. She looked quite busy but even so I called out to her.

"Hey Officer Jenny! Long time no see!" I called. She turned around and smiled instantly.

"Josh! How are you doing these days?" she asked.

"Quite good actually," I replied. I was just about to ask about the ruckus going on when someone bumped into me as they were trying to get to the front. I turned around and saw that it was Ash and Brock.

"Hey guys! You're here!" I said happily. Ash turned to me and grinned. "Hey Josh!" he greeted before he got curious. "Do you know what happened here?" he asked.

"No, I just got here," I replied. Jenny instantly got into Ash's and Brock's face. "You two look very suspicious to me," she said.

"Hey you're that motorcycle officer from Viridian City!" said Ash.

"Huh?" said Jenny before she 'ahh'ed in understanding. "You must have met my sister-in-law!" She then got back in Ash's face. "If you know my sister-in-law then that probably means you've had dealings with the police in Viridian!"

"Well... I..." stuttered Ash, unsure of what to say, as he really did have involvement with the police back there.

"Well maybe you just stopped her to ask for directions," here she got a grin as if she was gearing up for a great bust. "Or maybe you found a wallet and handed it in to her. Or maybe you're burglars who broke out of jail!" she finished by brandishing a pair of handcuffs.

"Or maybe he's just a Pokémon trainer who just got into town. You always were so suspicious of everyone. It's a wonder that you haven't been thrown off the force with so many false arrests on your record," I said while pushing her hands and handcuffs down.

"We just saw the crowd and was wondering what happened here,' said Brock, hoping to calm the woman down.

Jenny smirked. "The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime."

"Maybe this will help," said Ash as he flipped open his PokeDEX.

_"I'm Dexter. A PokeDEX programmed by Professor Oak for Pokémon trainer, Ash Ketchum."_

Brock nodded. "Right. And I was the leader of the Pewter City Gym." He held up the Bolder badge as proof.

"Well that's evidence enough for me," said Jenny before backing off completely. "I'm sorry I was suspicious. Now I'm suspicious of my sister-in-law; she sure has weird taste in friends."

"Um, miss?" asked Brock. "I was wondering since I'm new in town maybe we could get together tonight and you could show me around."

"Brock hitting on Officer Jenny? I gotta hear her response," said Chrono.

"Well I'm not off duty till past your bedtime," here Ash, Chrono, Vixey and I sniggered slightly at this. "And I even have to work round the clock to catch these burglars."

"Well what exactly did they steal?" I asked.

Jenny crossed her arms and looked quite confused. "That's the strange thing about it. They didn't steal any money. Just a massive vacuum and a giant hose."

"I guess burglars come in all shapes, sizes and mental states," I said, thinking about Jessie, James and Meowth.

"What would anyone want with that?" asked Ash.

"I'm sure I don't know young man but I do know that I don't have time to play guessing games with you because I've got a job to do and it's time for you three to move along," she said. She then pushed us back a ways before concentrating with the rest of the crowd.

"Alright everybody, the shows over, nothing to see here! Break it up! Break it up!"

* * *

(Cue song Interlude by Senju Akira from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Original Soundtrack 1)

"Good thing I had Dexter and you had your badge," said Ash.

"Yeah," replied Brock.

"Don't worry. I would have bailed you out," I said. "By the way, shouldn't you be heading for Cerulean City gym?" I asked Ash.

"Yeah," he replied. "What can you tell me about the gym leader?"

"It's a water based gym so they'll be water Pokémon there. Aside from that I can't tell you anymore," I replied.

"How come?" asked Ash.

"Because it wouldn't be any fun if you knew everything about the opposition beforehand. A trainer needs to think on their feet and plan under pressure," I answered.

"I see," he said thoughtfully.

As we were making our way to the gym Brock split from us, claiming he had stuff to do. We didn't question him and continued on our way.

It was at this point that I realised how quiet it was.

"Hey Ash?" I asked. He turned his head to look at me.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Where's Misty?"

"Well she really didn't want to come here so I guess she went in a different direction from us as we were heading for the city."

"Huh..." I said in response to Ash's answer. "I wonder why."

We then rounded a corner and there was the gym in front of us. It was a large pink and orange dome shaped building with a large Seel sign on the front. Wave decorations ran around the length of the building and the words 'Cerulean Gym' was underneath the waves over the top of the entrance.

"There it is," I said and we made our way to the entrance.

Inside it was dark with only the pool area illuminated. The place was packed to bursting with people, mostly guys. There was an announcer talking over the pa system.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Please welcome the stars of our show! The Sensational Cerulean City Synchronised Swimming Sisters!"

(Cue song How Crazy Are You? by Meja from Dead Or Alive Xtreme 2 OST)

"Boy, what a mouthful," I muttered as two spotlights pointed at the high diving board. On top were three absolutely smoking hot young ladies. The one on the right had hot pink hair and wore a gold one piece swimsuit with a blue bow. The one in the middle had long dark blue wavy hair with red beads around the back and wore a green one piece swimsuit. And the one on the left had a cascade of blonde hair and wore a red one piece swimsuit. All three of them had amazingly smooth looking skin and superstar body figures. They waved to the crowd and got an amazing response.

They then dived off in perfect sync and impacted the water at the same time. A huge roar from the crowd sounded through the gym. They broke the surface and proceeded to do movements in the water in time with each other.

"Uhh... I thought this was the Pokémon Gym?" asked Ash in confusion.

I sighed. "So you were right Chrono. They have done it." Chrono nodded sagely. "Leave those three alone and they get very bored."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ash.

"Ash, those," I pointed at the girls who were now underwater with their long toned legs out of the water, doing forms. "Are the gym leaders."

"What?" he exclaimed. Pikachu, however, was entranced by their movements.

"Yep," I said. "We'll wait until after the show before we approach them."

* * *

(Cue song Nandaka by Kurihara Masaki from Azumanga Daioh Original Soundtrack - Omatome Ban - CD1)

After the show we walked down the stairs to try to find the three girls. "Why would they do something like this?" asked Ash.

"I know them from way back. Those three are some of the most stereotypical girls ever. Their need to make themselves more pretty than others was quite massive. Obviously when they grew up this need was blasted into orbit," I summarised. "However it is possible that they just needed to do something other than just be a gym leader. Synchronised swimming is their hobby. The gym leader from Oreburgh City in the Sinnoh region has a part time job working in the coal mines near the city."

"Really," said Ash.

"Yeah. The League gives Gym Leaders about $1000 per fortnight to man the gym. Any repairs come from a separate account so the Gym Leaders don't need to pay for it themselves," I explained.

We then reached the end of the stairs and saw what was at the bottom. It was a hallway that seemed to circle round the gym pool. Large glass windows showed the underwater environment of the pool.

"Wow! It looks like an aquarium in here!" said Ash in awe. At that point we heard voices down the hall.

"The crowd was like totally awesome!"

"I know, that was so great!"

We turned to see the gym leaders walking down the hall.

"Daisy, that dive you did was super," said the blue haired one to the blonde, now identified as Daisy.

"The practise really paid off," she replied.

"Totally!" said the pink haired one and they all laughed only as girls like that could laugh.

"Uh.. excuse me?" asked Ash and their attention turned to the boy, not noticing me.

"I'm sorry but if you want an interview you have to, like, call our manager," said the pink haired one.

"No, it's not like that," began Ash but she continued on. "We don't do autographs," she said, looking as if she wasn't thrilled at the idea.

"I don't want one," said Ash. "I just came to battle the gym leader, that's all."

(Cue song Are You Ready by Yudai Sato from Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (OST))

"That's still you three, right?" I asked as I leaned up against the glass window, looking laid back and cool. They took one look at me and all screamed, "Oh my god! It's Josh!" They then ran over to me and literally hung onto me. The pink one grasped my right arm, the blond one on my left arm and the blue up real close to me. All three of them were pressing their faces really close to me.

"Wow! It really is Josh!" said the pink one.

"We've become, like, your biggest fans!" said the blue one.

"We've seen all of your concerts!" said Daisy, the blonde one.

"Hey Daisy, Violet, Lily! It's been awhile hasn't it," I said as I kissed each one on the cheek.

"It sure has," said Daisy.

"You three have grown into three very beautiful ladies," I complimented them, to which they responded with a squeal of excitement.

"So what brings you to Cerulean?" asked Violet, the blue haired one.

"That kid over there," I said, pointing at Ash. "I've found an interesting rookie to train."

"You're training him?" asked Lily, the pink one.

"Yep! He still light-years away from reaching his potential but he's got the right mind and spirit," I said, making Ash scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

We walked back up to the ground level and stood at the edge of the pool.

"So what do you say, girls? Will you let him earn his Cascade badge?" I asked.

The three looked at each other before Daisy spoke. "We don't feel much like battling anymore," she said.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"We just got beaten three times in a row by kids from this nowhere place called Pallet Town," explained Violet.

"Not again..." sighed Ash.

"Wait a minute. Other trainers from Pallet Town?" I asked Ash.

"Yeah," he replied gloomily. "Three others left Pallet Town as well. One of them is this really annoying guy called Gary."

"Huh!" I exclaimed. "Gary? As in Gary Oak? Sam's grandson?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah. Do you know him?" he asked.

"Yeah I do," I replied. "I've been several times to Pallet Town to talk with Sam and Gary would always challenge me, claiming that we were rivals. It was one sided though as I didn't share the same feelings or his snotty attitude of being better than everyone else, including me."

"Wow! Really?" Ash asked.

"Yep! It's a pity that he didn't come out more like his grandfather. He's a smart kid, I'll give him that. But has no wish to create strong bonds with Pokémon, only to use them as tools or weapons to achieve his own ends," I sighed. "But then again, he is young. Maybe a little maturing will set him on the right path. Who knows, he may end up like Sam after a few years." An image of Gary in a white lab coat and a clipboard in his right hand made me snort softly in laughter. "Gary in a lab coat. That'll be the day."

"Yeah, well, it was just one defeat after another. My eyes were spinning from all the losses," said Violet.

"We practically rushed all our Pokémon to the Pokémon Centre," said Daisy.

Lily then brought out a poke ball and enlarged it. "This is the only one left," she said as she summoned it out. A bright light later and a Goldeen was seen bouncing up and down on the concrete.

"Only a Goldeen?" asked Ash in despair.

As Lily recalled it Violet explained. "If it would evolve into a Seaking we could use it. But all it can do now is its Horn Attack."

"So, like, there's no point in battling," said Daisy.

"So now, instead of having matches, we have time to make ourselves more beautiful than ever," said Lily.

"But..." said Ash but it seemed that they were not going to change their minds.

"I know what you want," said Daisy and she called out a Seel from the pool. It opened its mouth and there on its tongue was a blue water drop shaped badge.

"A Cascade badge. This is what you want right? You can have it," she finished.

"Thanks, but I'd rather earn my badges," Ash said.

"Don't worry Ash! I have an idea," I said. Everyone turned to me.

(Cue song The overture of a reckless run by Toshihiko Sahashi from Fullmetal Panic Original Sound Track 2)

"Since Plan A didn't work for getting a badge, Plan B will have to do. Plan B being a battle with me," I grinned.

"What!" said Ash, horrified.

"No need to worry. I know how strong a gym leader is supposed to be. I'll put on my kid gloves and restrict myself to one Pokémon only. How's that?" I asked.

Ash looked to be thinking when suddenly a voice shouted out from up in the stands.

"Hold it right there!"

We all turned to see that it was Misty.

(Cue song Jiyuu ni Ikou ze by WATABE Chierul from Prince of Tennis Original Soundtrack 2)

"Misty?" asked Ash while Pikachu looked happy to see her. She then jumped from all the way up there to land in front of the sisters and Ash.

"I think we've found a Plan C," I said to my Pokémon. They nodded in turn.

"All right Daisy! If you don't want to battle him, I will!" she stated.

"That's a good idea!" I said.

"What?" repeated Ash.

"Well think about it. Misty's been around you almost from Day 1. She knows your battle style. Who better to go up against then someone who knows your strengths and weaknesses," I said.

"Yeah... I guess your right! It will be a good test!" said Ash as he grinned eagerly.

"Just so you know, I'm a Cerulean City Gym trainer too," she said.

"Huh?" said Ash, Pikachu, Vixey, Chrono and I all together.

"I'm the fourth Sensational Sister!" she proclaimed.

"There are only three Sensational sisters and one runt," corrected Lily. Misty gritted her teeth at this.

"Wait a minute! The other kid you were talking about when I visited you before? That was Misty?" I asked.

"Yeah," said Daisy before turning to face her red haired, and red faced, sister. "So little sister, it's a surprise to see you back so soon."

"That little girl with the big mouth who said she wouldn't come back until she was a great Pokémon trainer? Wasn't that you?" asked Violet.

"Uhh... I guess I did say something like that when I left," Misty mumbled.

"So that's why Misty was so dead set against coming here," said Ash to Pikachu.

_"Makes sense now,"_ replied Pikachu after translation.

"Misty," said Lily. "You left here pretending to become a Pokémon trainer because you couldn't compare with us. Because we're obviously much more talented and beautiful than you are."

"Ouch!" I whispered to Ash.

"That isn't the reason!" yelled Misty.

"Well then I guess, like, you came back because you couldn't make it as a Pokémon trainer," said Daisy.

"It wasn't my idea to come back here!" Misty then pointed at Ash. "The only that I'm here is because he wanted to come!"

"Hey! That isn't fair!" said Ash.

"Well, he totally not someone I'd choose for my boyfriend," At this point Ash crashed to the floor. "But you're no prize yourself," Daisy finished up.

"My boyfriend!" denied Misty.

"But on the other hand," said Daisy before she sidled up to me and latched onto my arm and pressed her whole body against mine. She really did look absolutely beautiful and I was getting a slight hard on from her breasts smudged up against my arm. But my baggy pants hid the growing erection well. "I would definitely go out with this one." She then placed her lips close to my ear and whispered "My words haven't changed from since back then."

I smiled at her. "Daisy, you really are beautiful and have a bombshell of a body. But I'm going to have to decline a relationship with you." She looked at me confused. "But I thought you just said that I was beautiful?" she asked.

"True. I did. However that is only a fraction of what makes a person truly beautiful." I then looked at Misty. "Misty may not look as ravishing as you, Lily or Violet. But she has a beautiful soul and that outshines the skin deep beauty any time." All of this I was speaking in a low voice so only Daisy could hear. Misty looked a little confused when I looked at her.

"I'm sorry Daisy, I truly am. If you were beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside, then I'd snatch you up in a heartbeat. But you only care about outward appearances." But then I placed my hand on her hip and slowly slid my hand up the side of her body until my hand rested lightly against her breast. "However I can help you to work out some of your stress. You've got to have so much built up from being so famous," I growled out as I slid my hand back down her side until it rested on the skin of the top of her leg. Then I slipped my hand around the back, under her swimsuit and gave her ass a small squeeze. "If you know what I mean?" I added with a lustful grin. Her mouth opened and her breath hitched slightly as I gave her ass another squeeze, harder this time, before retracting my hand and very discretely adjusted my raging hard on from the sexual teasing I had just given out.

"What's going on?" asked Misty. She hadn't noticed my hand feeling up her oldest sister, but she was confused by her face showing a decent amount of sexual bliss, though she didn't recognise the expression.

"Oh, nothing much," I said casually.

"O…kay," she replied, still confused.

"So why don't you battle Ash?" I asked Misty.

"Uhh... yeah! Of course I will!" she said, snapping out of her confusion. She then turned to Ash. "Alright Ash! Are you ready to rumble?"

Ash looked a little unnerved but nodded. "Hell yeah!" he replied.

(Cue song Okottazo from One Piece - Music & Song Collection 2)

2 minutes later Ash and Misty were facing each other. I dug around in my bag and brought out my camera ball. I turned it on and let it hover out of my hand and fly over to record the fight. I then remembered I would need to send this footage to John sometime.

The two were standing on floating platforms on the water. Pikachu looked worried. It seemed he didn't want Ash to fight Misty.

"I wasn't planning on challenging you until you paid me back for my bike but this is as good a time as any! If you want that Cascade badge you're going to have to beat me!" called Misty.

"It'll be my pleasure!" answered Ash before turning to Pikachu. "This'll be a piece of cake," he said. But Pikachu still wasn't happy at this outcome.

"So how many Pokémon?" asked Ash.

"Two on two works for me!" was the answer he received.

"You got it!" replied Ash before he picked up Pikachu and proceeded to throw him into the field. "Alright them Pikachu, I choose you!" However his Pokémon hung on to Ash's hand panting slightly. _"That was close,"_ he gasped. Pikachu jumped down after that.

"Pikachu! What are you doing?" asked Ash. Pikachu, in a series of pointing and speaking, told Ash that he wouldn't battle a friend.

"Well I guess it's OK if you don't want to battle a friend. In fact I respect that." Ash then bent down to look into Pikachu's eyes. "But I look at this match as training. That's all." Pikachu looked at Ash. "It's just like Josh said. Misty knows all of my strengths and weaknesses. Who better to test my battle knowledge against then Misty, aside from Josh of course." Pikachu was now smiling and he patted Ash on the shoulder. _"I'll be rooting for you!"_ he said.

Ash grinned before standing to face Misty once more. I smiled, glad he was gaining some wisdom.

Ash then took out a poke ball and enlarged it. "Let's do it!" he called over to Misty. He then released Butterfree from the poke ball.

"Well in that case," said Misty as she pulled out her own poke ball. "Misty calls Staryu!" The poke ball bounced on one of the inner platforms and released a Staryu. This was a Pokémon that Misty had not shown Ash before aside from a brief glimpse at Mt. Moon. So Ash looked it up on his PokeDEX.

"Staryu. The core of this water Pokémon shines in a rainbow of seven colours; a core that is valued by some as a type of jewellery."

Ash smiled to himself. "Wow. Leave it to a girl to show off her jewellery," he said, not too softly.

"Quit stalling and let's get this show on the road!" yelled Misty.

"Do you think Misty can, like, really win?" asked Violet.

"Like, in her dreams maybe," said Lily.

(Cue song Hot Feeling by Toshiyuki Kishi from Dragon Ball Raging Blast)

"Butterfree! You can blow that thing away with one blast! Tackle it!" instructed Ash.

The Pokémon got right on the job and flew high into the air before dive bombing at Staryu. It struck head on and Staryu fell backwards.

"Staryu! Counterattack!" ordered Misty.

The Pokémon responded by jumping after Butterfree, spinning as it went.

"Dodge it!" called Ash and Butterfree did so. Staryu skidded to a halt on one of the platforms before being struck from behind by Butterfree.

"Yeah! I'm going to win this!" said Ash. "Even though we're training, a gym badge is riding on this battle."

"Staryu! Water gun!" yelled Misty.

Staryu complied by jumping into the water and began to fire a continuous barrage of water at Ash's Pokémon. The first volley struck home. Staryu jumped back onto the platform and continued firing in more short, quick bursts of fire. Butterfree dodged each one.

"In that case, Stun Spore now!" ordered Ash.

A light golden curtain of Stun Spore came from Butterfree and settled on Staryu. Misty's Pokémon then began to show signs of slowing down and grogginess.

"Oh no! Staryu looks like it's in real pain!" said Misty worriedly. Ash picked up on what she said and looked confused. "It doesn't even have a face! How can you tell?"

"Because I'm sensitive to Staryu's feelings that's how!" retorted Misty. Ash folded his arms and gave Misty a side long look. "Sure you are..."

Back on the side of the pool, the Seel that had brought up the Cascade badge was clapping for Misty. All three sensational sisters were looking somewhat annoyed at it. "Who's side are you clapping for?" Violet said, slightly peeved.

"Staryu! Wash it off!" ordered Misty. Staryu managed to stumble forward and fell into the pool. It took only a few seconds for Staryu to resurface, good as new.

"Yeah!" cheered Misty as Staryu posed slightly. "Too bad you didn't know that Stun Spore doesn't work if you wash it off with water."

I smiled lazily. "Good move Misty!" I said softly. Vixey and Chrono nodded around me.

"She thinks she knows everything!" growled Ash. "Butterfree! Sleep Powder!" he ordered stubbornly. Butterfree complied however it was no use, as Staryu automatically jumped into the water.

"Tackle it from underwater!" called Misty. A moment later Staryu's spinning form came rocketing out of the water and hit Butterfree, however it was a glancing blow as Butterfree recovered almost instantly. Staryu continued to try to hit Ash's Pokémon but Butterfree was dodging each try now.

Misty seemed to mutter something to herself, most likely a new strategy, before she confidently yelled out that water Pokémon always had the advantage in the water.

Ash was gritting his teeth in annoyance but Pikachu was cheering Misty on. Ash noticed. "Pikachu! You're supposed to be on my side!" he chastised.

_"Oh, yeah... my bad,"_ said Pikachu sheepishly.

Back on the side lines, the sensational sisters were having different opinions of their fourth sister. "Misty's really awesome!" said Daisy softly. "Well we got the good looks in the family. I guess she had to get _some_ talent," added Lily.

Then, finally, all of Staryu's hard work finally paid off as it delivered a strong tackle to Butterfree, connecting and slamming it into the water where it franticly began to flail about, unable to escape from the pool.

Ash sighed in defeat before recalling his Pokémon. He quickly swapped it for Pidgeotto's ball and summoned her out.

(Cue song Skygrinder by Skankfunk from Air Gear Original Soundtrack 1)

Misty also recalled her Staryu and replaced it with a Starmi. This was new to me so I looked intently at it. The Starmi seemed quite well looked after. The jewel was shiny and the body was well scrubbed.

Ash ordered a whirlwind attack to blow it out of the ring. Starmi stood fast before jumping to the side on Misty's order. Starmi then shot out of the water and hit Pidgeotto. She fell back but quickly righted herself.

"Strike back with Wing Attack!" called out Ash. Starmi came buzz sawing around but Pidgeotto whacked it away with her wing, flinging it back into the water. Almost instantly Starmi flew out of the water and delivered another strong attack to the bird Pokémon. Pidgeotto recovered and created a strong Gust attack on Ash's order. Starmi, who had been coming round for a final strike, stopped dead in the air against the sudden strong winds. Starmi struggled for a second before streaking away in the opposite direction and crashing into the wall.

"Starmi!" called Misty worriedly. Starmi was not looking good as the jewel on its front was blinking slowly, indicating that Starmi was close to being KO'ed.

(Cue song Encounter by Takeharu Ishimoto from Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Original Soundtrack)

"Ok Pidgeotto! Let's get that Gym badge!" called Ash before they were interrupted by a loud rumbling sound. We all looked over to the wall that we heard the rumbling sound before it collapsed from outside pressure. A cloud of dust and a lot of crashing later, stood a large metal tank with some sort of contraption on the top. Two people began to rise out of it and a familiar theme song began to ring in our ears.

"Check out that hair!" said Violet.

"Like, who invited the party crashers?" asked Daisy.

"Sorry to break in on you ladies."

"Allow us to introduce ourselves."

-cue Team Rocket theme song-

"The water Pokémon have the advantage," said James.

"But if we steal that water away," continued Jessie.

"Then the Pokémon will be ours for the taking!" finished James.

"And Meowth knows just how to do it," added Meowth.

"What are they trying to prove?" wondered Lily. Her answer came when a large hose shot out of the top of the contraption and plunged into the water. The contraption then fired up, smoke pouring from the exhaust pipe. As soon as the machine powered up, all the water began to drain from the pool as the water was sucked into the hose.

"So it was you three who stole the equipment from that department store last night," I realised.

"Our swimming pool!" Daisy cried out.

"They're sucking it dry!" Misty said while I tried hard not to have any dirty thoughts from what she said.

"That's our water!" yelled Lily.

"You're right! I should give it back!" said Meowth while pulling a lever. The hose stopped draining before rearing out of the pool and blasting the collected water at us. Instantly the whole area was flooded and we were separated. I instantly focused and then climbed up on top of the water, actually walking on the surface. A thick coat of blue energy was being generated from my feet. The other's were too distracted to see this miraculous sight as Vixey and Chrono did the same as me, blue energy also attached to their paws. We then retreated to higher ground which was the stands.

"We've got to protect the Pokémon!" yelled Misty. Violet floated past her as she said this. "Like, what about my hair!" she yelled back.

The water then reversed as the vacuum began draining again. Seel was dragged under water and into the hose. Everyone else was washed up on the side of the pool again.

Unfortunately Pikachu was also caught in the current and was speeding to the hose. Ash looked very worried before he realised something and grinned. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu mirrored his friend's grin and let loose a massive Thunderbolt. The electricity flowed through the water, up the hose and completely fried anything on the other side. This being Jessie, James and Meowth. By the time the attack was finished, all three were smoking.

"It's times like these that make me want to go straight!" groaned James, clearly talking about working honest work instead of being gay. They all then fell into the water which was still being drained. "Now I know how it feels to be all washed up," finished James. "We'll never come clean!" declared Jessie, although in her current state it didn't sound very convincing.

They were then dragged under and through the pipe. In the distance I heard, "Team Rocket's blasting off again!" and knew that the threat had passed.

However the vacuum was still online and Pikachu was still being dragged toward it. Seeing as Ash wouldn't get there in time I quickly ran over to the tank and jumped up high, landing on the deck before pulling the lever to the reverse position as Pikachu was dragged under and into the pipe. The pipe reared again and blasted water, along with Pikachu, into the air. Seeing Ash's Pokémon land in Daisy's arms I turned the vacuum off and gave a sigh of relief.

* * *

(Cue song Shin Gakki (1) by Kurihara Masaki from Azumanga Daioh Original Soundtrack - Omatome Ban - CD1)

We were halfway through cleaning up the gym from the thrashing Team Rocket had given it. Shiva and Sora were taking turns in using Water Pulse and Hydro Pump to replace the water in the pool. Seel was back with the sisters. I had recalled my camera ball and it was now safe inside my pack as I swept sand that had been thrown around everywhere from the pool/aquarium back to its original spot. Mostly everyone was doing that.

"You know Ash, we never got to finish our match," said Misty as she dumped a shovel of sand into the pool.

"You're right," replied Ash, who was busy wiping down the seats filled with water. "And I was about to win it too," he added.

"You could say you match had to be postponed, like, due to drainage," said Violet in a bad joke.

"At least nobody lost," said Lily.

"But I wanted to win!" whined Misty slightly.

"Ahh, I wouldn't sweat it you two. You both gave it your all. Misty's good use of the terrain in the battle and Ash's use of simple physics when facing Team Rocket were good strategies," I congratulated. However Ash still looked glum. "I guess I'm not going to get that Cascade badge," he muttered moodily.

"Wrong," said Daisy as she walked over and held up the badge in question in Ash's face. "We're giving this badge to you."

Ash looked very surprised. Misty, however, whined a little. "Why does he get one? He didn't win!"

"Pikachu was the one that, like, totally saved us all. And if he'd used Pikachu from the start, there was no way your water Pokémon would have won," explained Daisy.

"Damn," said Misty softly.

"Take the badge Ash, you deserve it," finished Daisy. Ash smiled and thanked her before taking the badge.

I came up behind him and patted him on the head. "Nice job kiddo!" I said, smiling.

Ash beamed at me. "Thanks Josh!"

"Though personally I think Daisy took it easy on you. Don't expect the others to be so simple," I added.

"Aww, man!" he whined while Misty grinned widely.

* * *

By the time we had finished fixing up the gym, it was almost dark. So Daisy had suggested we stay the night in the gym as they had several single bedrooms there. We agreed and after some dinner made by Brock (who had shown up just as we were finishing up the cleaning and had tried to hit on Violet) and I, we all went to our separate bedrooms. Misty went to her old bedroom, Brock, Ash and Pikachu went to share a room and I got myself a bedroom a few rooms down from where Ash and Brock were. Vixey and Chrono had decided to go and sleep next to the fire in the living room as it wasn't often that they could enjoy the warmth of sleeping next to a fire indoors. I had bid them a good night and a hug before going to my own room.

The bed was a large king sized single bed and the room was a decent size as well. I sat in my bed, tapping the keys on my tablet PC. A few new lyrics had just popped into my head and I was just writing them out when there was a knock on my door.

(Cue song Hello And Welcome by Enigma from A Posteriori)

"Come in!" I called, thinking it was Ash wanting to talk about something. So I was very pleasantly surprised when Daisy walked sensually into the room wearing a red skin-tight one-piece swimsuit of a different design to the one she wore before. This one had no back.

I quickly got to my feet, not even bothering to hide my quickly growing arousal through my pjs. "And what do I owe the company of a beautiful lady such as yourself tonight?" I questioned, even though I knew there was only one think she could want from me after the teasing I had given her before all the chaos happened.

"I'm here to continue what you started before," Daisy replied.

I walked over til I was standing almost right up against Daisy. I stepped forward and pressed my hard on against Daisy's own pussy. "Might it be some of this?" I asked innocently as I put more pressure onto her womanhood. She opened her mouth slightly.

"Y-yes…" the blonde replied.

"Are you sure? This is a one night stand we'll be having. It's not like I'll be falling in love with you or anything," I asked seriously. To emphasise my tone I stopped my ministrations completely.

"I understand," she said before she pushed her pussy against junior.

"Well then, let's get started," I said before I grabbed her hand and led her to the shower. After turning it on and waiting for the right temperature to be set I stripped out of my pjs and we both stepped into the shower, getting wet quickly.

**First I leaned against her back and kissed her neck. **One hand massaged her left breast while the other rubbed her pussy through her swimsuit. She began to whimper at the pleasure I was delivering. It had been quite a while since I had gotten laid the last time as I had been in isolation, training with my Pokémon. But man, it was good to feel a woman's skin against mine again. To feel her curves as I drifted my hand around the shape of her breasts. And I had not lost my touch at all.

By now she had begun to moan softly, and the noises she made were really turning me on. I began to grind my hardening dick against her ass from behind. I pushed my fingers in hard against her pussy and rubbed hard against it, and was rewarded with a loud moan from the lady.

"Oh Josh!" she panted as I sped up my movements and began to move forward and back, my dick rubbing between her ass cheeks. I moved my hands to massage both of her glorious tits. She spread her legs and my dick dropped between her thighs. She wiggled her ass so that my dick was positioned directly under her womanhood. She then tightened her thighs around my dick so that it wouldn't fall away before moving her ass back and forward, my dick grinding against her covered pussy.

"Faster Josh. More!" she moaned out and I complied as I began to grunt slightly from the pleasure I was feeling from my dick sliding in and out of her wet thighs. I pushed the swimsuit down so that her breasts popped out into the open and began to strongly fondle them, my fingers pinching her nipples. Daisy's moans became louder and her breathing quite heavy.

She then fell forward and placed her hands on the shower floor as the pleasure began to make her weak in the knees. I knelt down and thrusted myself into her, grunting a bit as I also jammed the crotch area of the swimsuit into her slit and we both moaned loudly from the feeling.

"Shoving my swimsuit in too? You're quite perverted behind closed doors," Daisy panted.

"It's amazing the people we become in private," I growled into her ear.

We then began to move back and forward, quickly speeding up. If someone came in, they probably would have been mesmerized at the sight of Daisy and I having hot sex with the water from the shower flowing over our bodies.

"Yes Josh! Harder!" Daisy cried out and I didn't need to be told twice as I picked up speed. We were both panting and crying out loudly from the intense pleasure we were feeling as my dick and the swimsuit shot in and out of the oldest Sensational Sister's pussy. And the hot water trickling over us just heightened that pleasure.

"D-Daisy! You're tightening up on me!" I moaned as I palmed her ass.

"Come! Put that hand to better use!" she replied as she guided my hands to her breasts. She cried out as I pinched her nipples and fondled her tits as I slammed in and out of her pussy. "You're amazing Josh! I haven't had a fuck this good in a while! But don't misunderstand! I wouldn't let just anyone do this!"

"I-I'm…!" I grunted out, feeling the knot in my balls tightening.

"You're going to cum soon, aren't you? Go on, cum into me!" she answered before speeding up more.

The pressure inside me increased until I could hold no longer. I jammed my cock hard into her and let loose a large torrent of my seed into Daisy as she cried out in orgasmic pleasure. Thanks to the swimsuit, all of my cum flooded out of her slit and mixed with the water from the shower. I pulled out of her with the remaining cum quickly washing away. She collapsed onto the shower floor, panting hard from her release, her face flushed, her own fluids leaking out of her. I quickly joined the blonde, also heaving from my own release.

I turned her head and captured her mouth in a kiss. I pushed my tongue into her mouth and rubbed it against her own, to which she moaned and responded. We continued for a while before we stood up; Daisy a little wobbly from her orgasm. I turned off the shower and we silently dried ourselves off. We then both went to my bed and collapsed onto it, breathing easily now that our heart rates were back to normal.

"I've got to admit, that was a first for me," Daisy announced with a yawn.

"What was?" I asked.

"Doing it in the shower and having my swimsuit being shoved into my pussy along with someone's dick," she replied sleepily.

"But it was a good thing?" I asked.

"Yes… it was very good…" she mumbled before sleep overtook her. I smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead. I picked her up bridal style and she snuggled into my chest. I walked out of my bedroom, making sure there wasn't anyone else around and tiptoed into her bedroom. I placed her on her bed, slid the covers over her and kissed her forehead again.

"Sweet dreams, Daisy Waterflower," I whispered before I left her room.

* * *

(Cue song Dawn by Kajiura Yuki from Tsubasa Chronicle Original Soundtrack - Future Soundscape IV)

The next morning we said our goodbyes. "Misty, you just keep on trying to be a Pokémon trainer," said Lily, making Misty smile slightly. "You might as well be good at something, cause you'll never be stars like us," she added teasingly, making Misty retort. "You keep that up and you'll be seeing stars!"

"Chill out," said Violet.

"Misty, be careful. You know we love you," said Daisy, smiling gently.

"Yeah," replied Misty, also smiling. Then Daisy sidled up to me and latched onto my arm again and whispered in my ear, "Thanks for last night." I smiled and groped her ass. "Feel free to seek me out for a second act," I grinned before releasing her ass and walked over to where Ash was. I turned back and waved at them. "Until next time," I said before realising something. I dug around in my backpack and took out a small folder. I took out three slips of paper and handed them to Daisy.

"Here," I said as Daisy took the pieces of paper. "Last time I promised to get you three a present. I always keep the promises I make." The three looked at their piece of paper before cheering.

"Yes! We got tickets to Josh's concert in Saffron City!" they all yelled out in happiness. They then all crowded around me and each one kissed me on the cheeks. I smiled. "Glad you like them girls," I said before turning around and calling to my friends. "C'mon! Let's stay at the Pokémon Centre before we set out tomorrow." They nodded before walking with me, waving goodbye to the sensational sisters.

(Cue song LAST RAG by Takeshi Hama from Devil May Cry: The Animated Series OST)

"So where are we going?" Brock asked.

"To the Pokémon Center. We should rest and gear up for tomorrow. And I have some business to take care of there," I answered, thinking about sending ash's new gym battle footage to Leader.

"Sounds good," he said and we all walked towards the center, leaving Misty behind slightly.

"Don't leave without me!" said Misty as she ran to catch up with us.

"Misty, you're not going to be a sore loser, are you?" asked Ash.

"It was a draw!" retorted Misty.

"Well I'm the one who got the badge!"

"What! You know you lost with Butterfree!"

"That was just round one! I made a great comeback!"

"If Team Rocket hadn't busted in I would've destroyed you!"

"You're lucky they showed up! You were about to lose!"

"Lose? I was just getting started!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah!"

"Oh god..." I mumbled to Brock and my Pokémon, but I had a grin on my face as I watched the antics of my new friends.


	7. Chapter 7: Statistics Isn't Everything!

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'  
**Kaze - **Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'  
**Sora - **Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'  
**Shiva - **Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'  
**Hikari - **Hayden Panettiere  
**Baihu - **Paul Mercierwho voiced Bear from '.hack/SIGN'  
**Fenrir - **Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'  
**Bahamut - **Jamie Foxx  
**Ifrit - **Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from 'DragonBall Z', Kuromaru from 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles', and Roronoa Zoro from 'One Piece'  
**Eywa - **Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'

(AN: Baihu's voice has changed. Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across it. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future)

* * *

**Chapter 7: Statistics Isn't Everything!**

(Cue song On The Hill by Naoki Sato from Eureka seveN OST 1 Disc 1)

We were now on the road to Vermillion City. Misty wanted to go there to see some luxury cruise ship or something. Ash agreed when I mentioned the fact that there was a Gym there. And Brock didn't care where we went as long as there were beautiful girls at our next destination. He was easy to please. Right now we were walking through an open field flanked by forests on both sides. It was quite foggy and it was hard to see where we were going. Nonetheless we were walking along in perfect harmony.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight until you pay me back for my bike, Ash Ketchum!"

"My bike! My bike! That's all I ever hear from you!"

"Right! And my name might be Misty but I'm perfectly clear about what you owe me and you're not going to get away from me without paying!"

Ok, so I lied.

We stopped to rest at one point and Brock offered to cook some crapes (a small argument broke out concerning French things between Ash and Misty) and boil some water for coffee (only Brock and I would be having some) and tea (for Misty and Ash). Ash got stuck looking for firewood and I accompanied him to help.

"Here firewood! Here firewood!" called Ash in a half lazy tone. He looked at his Pokémon. "No firewood here Pikachu."

"Honestly Ash," Vixey sighed amusedly. "It's like you expect pieces of firewood to just walk out of the forest yelling 'Pick me! Pick me!'"

"'Pick me Ash! Please burn me! God this bark makes me look fat!'" Chrono added in a shrill and high pitched voice as he waved a small-ish twig with one of his tails. This effectively sent us chuckling or giggling at Chrono's antics.

(Cue song Order of the Back Society by Taku Iwasaki from Black Butler Complete OST)

I looked ahead and saw something that caught my attention. "Hey Ash. You see that?" I asked, pointing ahead of us. He looked to see a light that was flickering through the fog.

"Looks like a fire," I said and we began to walk towards the source. What we saw was a little strange.

There were a group of boys all dressed in expensive looking school uniforms. One younger one was surrounded by five other older boys. The young one was jogging on a treadmill while a red haired older boy held out some cards.

"Alright, what's this one?" the red head asked, holding up a card.

The boy glanced at it before speaking. "Is it a Zubat?" he questioned.

"Listen, just because it's foggy out here doesn't mean your brain has to be in a fog," sneered a second older boy. The kid then concentrated properly before replying, "It's a Pidgey." The kid was panting now as it seemed that the exhaustion was biting into him.

"Nice guess. Though you just got lucky," smirked the first one.

"Ok," spoke the second, "Tell us what its special attack is."

The kid took a second longer to answer. "Pidgey's special attack is Gust. At level 5, Sand Attack. At Level 12..."

"Everybody knows that," interrupted the first one. "Now can you just tell me at which level Pidgey evolves and the name of the advanced evolutionary stage."

"Umm..." the kid seemed to struggle with this answer.

"You better hurry up or you'll have to run faster," mocked the second.

However the kid stayed silent. Then, all of a sudden the treadmill sped up and, caught off guard, the kid tumbled to the ground. "Sorry," he said. "I forgot." The three other boys all sighed.

"You forgot? And you call yourself a Pokémon Tech student? Well we don't wanna study with the likes of you," the red head sneered again.

"I'm sorry," apologised the kid again. By now Ash, Vixey, Chrono, Pikachu and I had walked up to the group of school kids.

"Any particular reason you're scorning a kid who's just trying to learn?" I asked, drawing their attention to me.

"Mind your own business. This is a private lesson going on here," said the red head.

"Hmmm… maybe I should test you then," I smiled in a faux innocent way. "Why is Arcanine referred to as a legendary Pokémon, even though it isn't rare enough to be a real one?"

"What?" asked the red head.

"You heard me," I challenged, looking straight into his eyes.

"Uhh..." said the boy, confused and nervous.

I sighed. "Pathetic. I though you would know. The standards of Pokémon Tech have really dropped," I said, shaking my head.

"Well let's see how smart you really are," said the red head right back. "What are the evolution names of Eevee's Fire, Electric and Water branches?" he asked, obviously thinking of the hardest question he knew.

I smirked. "Flareon, Jolteon and Vaporeon," I answered simply and precisely. The red-head was shocked, as well as everyone else. He backed up slightly. "W-well just because you know that, doesn't mean you're smarter than us," he said.

"Ok then. How 'bout a battle?" I asked.

He then sneered. "Heh, we don't battle. I wouldn't want to waste my time on a punk like you." He then turned to the kid.

"We'll see you back at the tech Joe," he said before they walked away.

"Ok!" he replied as the fog swallowed them up.

"Who do those guys think they are?" said Ash in a slightly pissed off voice.

(Cue song Senritsu B by Taniuchi Hideki from DEATH NOTE Original Soundtrack II)

"Those guys are from PokeTech. It's a school for rich kids to go to instead of travelling around the country battling for regional badges like you are," I explained. "The school is divided into three stages. Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Each stage has the equivalent knowledge for two, four or six badges. When you graduate, to go straight to the Pokémon League."

"Wow..." said the one called Joe. "How do you know all this stuff?" he asked.

"Josh knows everything!" said Ash.

"Nah," I said, grinning. "I don't know everything. I've just picked up a few things here and there on my travels."

"Since those guys are PokeTech students, then the school must be very close by," said Misty, who had come to see what all the fuss was about.

"Yeah. Most likely we're standing right in front of it, but the fog is so thick that we can't see it," said Brock, who also came to see what was happening.

"Well I think getting into the Pokémon League without badges is too easy!" said Ash.

"That isn't true, Ash. The subjects are ruthlessly taught and can sometimes be too hard for a student to learn. They are then held back, most likely, so you could end up staying here for years before moving on," I explained in a disdainful voice.

"You sound as if you dislike this place," asked Joe.

"I do," I said shortly.

_"Today's special class, fog battle techniques is now ended,"_ came an announcers voice through the suddenly clearing fog, showing a large three story complex. _"Tomorrow's lesson will be Snow Competition Secrets."_

"Well, there it is," I said glumly.

Joe sighed. "Oh well, I guess tomorrow they'll make me into a snowman again."

"Again?" I asked. "It seems this happens on a regular basis."

"My friends are just trying to help me," the kid said, however he didn't seem too happy about it.

"They're not friends. They just prey on the weak to make themselves feel smarter. That's why that red head one faltered when I asked him that question," I said.

"But they helped me learn that Pidgey evolves into a Pidgeotto at level 18. It learns Whirlwind at Level 21, Wing Attack at Level 31 and that as its level rises, it learns various tricks. After evolving into a Pidgiot, it can fly at an altitude of 12,000 meters at speeds of up to Mach II," he explained.

"I don't get it," asked Ash. "If you know everything about Pidgey, then why didn't you just answer them?"

"Sometimes I pretend that I don't know all the answers, because if I do they make the questions much harder. But I have to stay here at PokeTech. My mother and father worked hard and saved money so they could pay to send me to school here," explained Joe.

"I see. You're one of those types of students who don't come from a wealthy background. That's why the older kids give you a hard time," I said, realising his problem. "So I'm guessing, from the questions they were asking, that you're a beginner?"

"That's right," he answered. "There are some kids in the class that have been held back for so long that the other students don't help them like they do me."

"Do the teachers know about this?" asked Misty.

"I'm not sure. If they do then they pretend not to," replied Joe.

"Well I for one think this is a violation of students rights that must stop immediately if not sooner! I want to meet the student in charge of this system and I'll see to it that it stops!" declared Ash.

"You can do that all you want, but if there is any battling then I will be doing it," I said with an evil glint in my eye. "I've been looking for a chance to flog these students into their place and now a golden opportunity appears right in front of me. No way is it getting away from me!"

Joe fumbled inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a picture. "This is the person in charge," he explained before showing us the picture.

I looked at the image and saw an extremely beautiful girl on the front. She had long silky chocolate brown hair and mocha brown eyes. She turned me on slightly but the smirk plastered on her face ruined the mood completely.

"Heh, demoness in disguise," I said.

"It's a girl?" asked Misty.

"Oh yeah, you're right about that," said Ash in a dreamy voice.

"She can violate my rights any day," said Brock in the same tone.

"Down boys," Vixey said while grinning, but said it softly enough so only I, Ash, Brock and Chrono heard.

"Hey! If she's making your life miserable then why do you carry her picture around?" asked Misty.

"I hate the way she treats us, but I like the way she looks," confessed Joe.

"Yeah and not like other girls who treat you bad and look even worse," continued Ash, not realising what he had just said.

"WHILE YOU TWO ARE SLOBERING OVER THAT DOPEY PICTURE I'M GOING TO FIND THIS LITTLE BITCH AND STRAITEN HER OUT!" yelled Misty right in Ash's and Brock's ears before she began to stomp her way to the front door, muttering all the way. I just grinned at their antics. As we fell behind her Joe looked at me.

"By the way, that question you asked my classmate?" he asked.

"Yeah? What about it?"

"What's the answer?"

"Well," I began, "It's probably best if I show you." Joe looked confused as I pulled out one of my poke balls and released Baihu. There was a flash of light before, standing next to us, was a large and regal looking Arcanine.

"Just look at him. People from earlier days thought that these Pokémon were guardians of some sort and so were given legendary status based on their looks alone," I explained before recalling Baihu.

"Wow! You have an Arcanine!" said Joe in awe.

"Yep! And I'm gonna trounce anyone who challenges me," I declared.

* * *

(Cue song Douiu Kotokana by Kurihara Masaki from Azumanga Daioh Original Soundtrack - Omatome Ban - CD1)

After quickly going inside and heading for the lifts, we made our way up to the third floor. The lift doors opened, showing a large room filled with computers.

"Giselle usually practises here by herself," explained Joe as we walked through the room. "Even if you beat her in a match, it won't matter to her. At the Tech, it's your skill as a Pokémon trainer that counts more than winning in any one battle."

"So her name is Giselle, huh?" I asked, grinning at the chance to completely kick her nicely rounded butt. I then looked around. "So where is she?"

"Oh she's around here somewhere, most likely she's with her usual possie of the guys you saw earlier," sighed Joe. He then looked at me and Ash curiously. "So how many badges do you guys have?"

"I've got two badges!" bragged Ash, showing Joe his two.

Joe just shrugged. "But Giselle is the top Beginner here at the Tech. That's better than having three badges. Even though I'm at the bottom of my class, I'm still more powerful than someone with two badges."

"So she's also the top beginner here, huh? This just keeps getting better and better," I grinned.

"So how many do you have?" asked Joe in relation to badges.

"Eight," I replied.

Joe jumped back slightly. "Woah! You have 8? Giselle might have a tough time beating you."

"Who says she's going to beat me? If she goes up against me she'll be in shit so deep she'll forget what the sun looks like," I said dismissively.

"Maybe," muttered Joe, still a little dubious.

"Do you want a battle?" I asked him.

"Me?" he asked.

"Sure. I'll go easy since I like you," I said before looking at Vixey. "You want to have a little warm up?" I asked her. She nodded her head before walking in front of me. "You can choose any Pokémon you want to go up against Vixey here," I said to Joe.

"Ok then," he replied before running to the side for a moment to get a poke ball and then returning. "I choose Vaporeon!" Joe tossed the ball into the air and released the Pokémon inside. After a flash of light, there stood Joe's Vaporeon.

"A Vaporeon huh?" I said to myself. "You ready?"

(Cue song TETSUJIN DRIVE from Dynasty Warriors 6 OST)

"Yes! Go Vaporeon! Use Bubblebeam!" said Joe while pointing at Vixey.

"Use the Ravager style Vixey," I said in a lazy tone. She nodded before she let loose a powerful Flamethrower attack. The flames crashed against the Bubblebeam attack and completely overwhelmed said attack, streaking toward Vaporeon without pause or slowing down. The Flamethrower hit Vaporeon hard and sent it flying away in an uncontrolled tumble. Vaporeon landed hard on its side and skidded to a halt.

"Wha! But Water attacks are supposed to be strong against Fire!" exclaimed Joe. I was just about to explain why this outcome came about when a sexy, but haughty voice rang out across the battlefield.

(Cue music silence)

"True, but there's one thing you didn't know." I turned around to see that the demoness had shown her face, along with the group of boys from earlier.

"You're opponent is clearly more experienced than you. His Pokémon has more experience battling than you. You should have known that. You're an embarrassment to the whole school."

"Wow! She's really pretty isn't she?" said Ash, completely smitten.

"She looks like a movie star!" added Brock who was much more subdued in his emotions aside from his large blush. I also grinned at her, my eyes taking in the curves of her early maturity and murmured, "Man, that's some pretty decent jailbait."

"I'm the top student in the beginners class of the most exclusive prep school in the world; Pokémon Tech. It's sad that others aren't blessed with my beauty, my talent, my humble attitude. People call me a star but, I'm just Giselle!" As she was 'introducing' herself, her flaunting was as far from humble as you could get. At the end she posed slightly, making me shake my head in amusement.

She walked towards Joe and stood in front of the young boy. "I want to continue to help my classmates be the very best they can be." Here she placed her hand over her ample left breast, where her heart 'should' be. "To teach each other, respect each other, and ensure the Pokémon of tomorrow." Here she dropped her hand and her gaze became scornful. "But you are a weakling."

Poor Joe looked so downcast that it took all of my willpower to not go over there and smack some sense into her from what she said next.

"You'd better get stronger fast, or before you know it, your fellow students will turn their backs on you, for good!" she finished with an air of finality to her voice. She turned her back and began to walk away. Joe was on the verge of crying at his abandonment. I then snapped and began to clap slowly and very sarcastically.

"Very good performance," I said to Giselle as she turned to look at me curiously. "You may look like a star, but inside, you're just a cold hearted bitch who verbally beats up others to make herself feel powerful."

She stepped back as if she had been struck. "What did you just call me?' she asked in a horrified voice.

"Didn't you hear me? I said you are a B-I-T-C-H," I spelled out with a disgusted look.

(Cue song Okottazo from One Piece - Music & Song Collection 2)

She stood silent at me for a few moments before she spoke. "Well it seems that I need to teach you a lesson to respect your betters," she said.

"Respect is earned, not given," I countered. "Let's settle this outside. I don't want to wreck your precious school." And without bothering to go back down the lift, I just walked over to the open window behind me and jumped out of it, Vixey and Chrono following. I felt the wind fly through my hair, whipping my hair tail behind me before we landed next to a pool.

"Oh yeah, I'm so awesome," I grinned to myself, with Vixey rolling her eyes at me.

"You're lucky your fanclub ain't here to see that. They'd rape you the second you would land. Maybe while you're still in the air," Chrono muttered offhandedly. I immediately bonked him on the head.

"Don't say that! It might come true!" I hissed in a half angry, half horrified voice. Vixey giggled at my reaction.

We waited a few minutes before Giselle and her posse arrived, followed closely by Ash, Misty, Brock and Joe.

"Took your time. I was beginning to think that you were having second thoughts," I said mockingly.

"Not at all. Just picking which Pokémon to match up your Ninetails, if that's what you are going to use," replied Giselle. It was clear she was daring me to use either Vixey or Chrono.

"Yeah," I said before looking at Chrono. He grinned before he walked forward to stand in front of me.

"Well then," she said as she gracefully threw the poke ball into the air. "Golduck! Go!" The poke ball released the Golduck inside and it landed with poise on the ground.

(Cue song E3 Trailer by Rio Hamamoto from Tekken 6: Bloodlines Rebellion Original Soundtrack)

"I would say 'good choice', but Chrono isn't your typical Ninetails," I said before looking at Chrono. "Use the Trickster stance." Chrono nodded. I then looked back to Giselle and thrust my hand at her, all five fingers spread out. It was the stance I used before beginning a battle. "It's Time to Dual!" I called out my opening line before all battles. "Being the courteous gentleman that I am I'll give you the first move." Giselle's right eye twitched slightly before her lips turned upwards in a smirk. "Why thank you. I believe I will. Golduck! Use water gun!" Her Pokémon complied and shot a powerful stream of water at Chrono. The water reached him, and passed _through_ him.

"What the...?" said Giselle. Everyone else was surprised as well. Giselle quickly got over her shock and ordered Golduck to use Fury Swipes. Again it looked like each one of the strikes went straight through Chrono, like he was a ghost.

"What's going on here!" demanded Giselle.

"It's quite simple, really," I said in the most annoyingly superior voice I could manage without throwing up. "Chrono is so fast that your Pokémon is just punching through his afterimage."

"But that's impossible! You didn't call out any moves!"

"I don't have to," I replied. "My Pokémon know what needs to be done when I tell them what stance to use, a cunning strategy I apply to battles where I don't need to micromanage all aspects of how my partners battle their opponents."

"Stance?" she asked.

"Precisely. The stance Chrono's using right now is called the Trickster stance, focused on speed and evasion," I explained. "The stance I used against Joe's Vaporeon is known as the Ravager stance, focused on using special attacks."

"But you can't do that!" said Giselle.

"Oh? Where in the Pokémon battling rules say that you have to speak your orders? My Pokémon and I have devised ways and strategies so that they can perform a slew of commands from just one. This keeps the opponent off guard, confuses them. Others have been known to communicate via telepathy and other forms of communication to gain an edge in a battle."

"He's right, you know," said Brock. "There is no such rule because there hasn't been a need to have one. People like the one's Josh just described are incredibly rare."

Giselle looked shocked before a small smirk creped onto her face. "Well then I'll just have to take your speed away. Golduck! Use Conf..." she would of continued but just before she was about to name her attack, Chrono disappeared.

"Wha...? Where is it!" asked Giselle.

"He's now moving so fast that your eyes can't keep up, but since I'm used to his speed I can follow his image easily," I said before grinning. "I believe it's time to end the lesson. Chrono! Use Tail Whip!"

Chrono appeared right next to Golduck and prepared the attack. Unlike normal tail whip which just lowers the target's guard, this one was completely physical. Chrono slammed all nine tails into Golduck which sent it flying straight into a wall. The impact cracked the wall and Golduck was unconscious before he even hit the ground.

(Cue song Dragons Gate by Hiroshi Takaki from Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi Soundtrack)

"Ah! Golduck!" cried out Giselle as she ran over to her Pokémon. After a few seconds of diagnosing it she recalled the Pokémon back. She then looked over at us. "None of the text books said anything about the move Tail Whip being used as an offensive," she questioned.

"That's because Pokémon aren't restricted to their moves. It all depends on how you use them," I said, however my voice had changed to a soft tone. I wasn't angry at her anymore. She had learned her lesson. "Remember that almost every move can be used in a different way, provided you have the right skills and strength to do them successfully, as well as a good imagination."

"Wow! That was awesome!" yelled Ash as he, Joe and the others clustered around me.

"That was an once-in-a-lifetime battle!" said Joe, clearly awed by my performance.

"Yeah, well, my lesson has been issued. I have no desire to trounce anymore PokeTech students," I said with a smile. I bent down to Chrono's eye level and scratched him behind the ears. "Nice job Chrono. You deserve an intense session of petting." Chrono yipped at me happily.

"I can't believe I lost a match..." said Giselle, who sounded on the verge of tears.

"That was your first loss?" I asked.

She looked up at me since she had collapsed to the ground. "No," she replied, wiping away her tears that were welling up in her eyes. "But it had been such a long time since I've lost a battle, I had forgotten what it felt like."

I walked over to her and held out my hand. She hesitated before gripping it. In my not-so-small perverted corner of my mind I noticed how smooth her hands were, and wondered if the rest of her body felt the same, like her ass or inner thighs. 'No! No! NO! Warning! Jailbait!' My inner self yelled at me. I sighed mentally before pulling her up into an upright position. However I misjudged how light she was and so she stumbled slightly and her whole body pressed against me.

'Ohhhhhh My Gward! Bow chicka bow wow!' was my thought as her well developing breasts smudged up against me. But before anything more could happen I stepped away until there was at least half a meter between us.

"Sorry about that. Didn't know you'd be that light," I confessed, looking away from her. I snuck a peak and saw that her face was as red as a cherry. 'Aww crap! She must be embarrassed about being so intimately close with a guy,' I thought.

"No," she replied while avoiding eye contact with me. "It's alright. I'm sorry I was so mean."

I smiled. 'At least she's showing improvement.'

(Cue song OPENING -DW PRIME MIX- from Dynasty Warriors 6 OST)

However at this point smoke began to waft along the ground. I sighed. 'They love to ruin the moment,' I thought before turning to the source.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves!" came the pair of voices. But I wasn't in the mood today so while they were still obscured I summoned Baihu.

"To protect the... Ahh!" came Jessie's voice as the smoke cleared to show Baihu staring straight at them.

"What is it Jessie?" asked James before he turned and saw the greeting. "Ahh!"

I smiled. "Sorry guys, but I just don't feel like entertaining you three today. Baihu, would you be so kind as to issue these three a one way ticket outta here?"

Baihu grinned before blasting out an uber strong Flamethrower attack at Team Rocket. They only had time to scream out before they were blasted off.

"Team Rocket's blasting off too soon!" was the yell I heard from them as they disappeared into the sky.

(Cue song "Victory Fanfare -Cosmos-" by Tsuyoshi Sekito from Dissidia -Final Fantasy- Original Soundtrack)

"Nice work, Baihu!" I said before recalling him back into his poke ball. I then turned back to my friends with a v for victory and a large grin. Ash was grinning at me, as well as Brock and Misty. Everyone else, however, was shocked at the level of power that was unleashed. Giselle's face, however, had changed. No longer was it completely red. Now it was about half as red, but she was looking at me in awe.

'Aww crap! I hope I haven't created another fan-girl,' I thought to myself.

"Sorry bout that little interruption," I said, grinning.

* * *

(Cue song White Clover by Yasuharu Takanashi \ Yaiba from NARUTO Shippuuden Original Soundtrack II)

After that battle, we spent the rest of the day getting a tour of PokeTech from Giselle. Every now and then I saw her try to catch a glimpse of me when she thought I wasn't looking.

'Great! I really have created another fan-girl,' I thought in dismay. 'Curse my need to show off!'

At the end of the day, Giselle and Joe reminisced about the day. They also decided that Giselle would be nicer while Joe would go back home to personally start his own Pokémon journey. The scene ended with the two of them becoming friends.

"See, why can't you and I be like that Misty?" asked Ash as we witnessed Giselle and Joe shake hands as friends.

Misty glared at Ash and took several threatening steps toward him as she spoke. "I'll tell you exactly why! Because he doesn't owe her a bike!"

As Ash laughed nervously, Giselle and Joe walked up to us. "So," said Giselle. She had lost most of her previous blush with only the barest hints of it remaining. "Maybe we'll meet and battle again someday."

"Sure thing. It'll be interesting to see what new strategies you've cooked up to use against me the next time we meet," I said cheerfully. I closed my eyes as I grinned widely; as so I wasn't prepared for what happened next. One moment I was laughing good naturedly, the next a pair of soft lips were pressed against my own. My eyes widened instantly but Giselle had already pulled back, a massive blush on her face.

"Could you tell me your name before you leave?" she asked in an oh-so-cute voice.

"Uhhhhhhhh..." I said before I calmed myself down and answered. "My name's Josh! Josh Ryu Kitsune."

She cocked her head to one side cutely. "I've heard that name somewhere before," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

"Ahh-," I said, not wanting her to realise just who I was. "Well, we've got to get going!" I said quickly before I grabbed Ash and Misty's hands and began to pull them away with Brock.

"Bye Josh! Bye Ash! Bye Brock! Bye Misty!" called Joe as we walked quickly away. We all waved back before continuing.

(Cue song Minna, Zutto, Zutto by Kurihara Masaki from Azumanga Daioh Original Soundtrack - Omatome Ban - CD2)

When we were a good distance away, Brock walked next to me. "Why did you want to leave before Giselle remembered who you were?"

"Cause then I would have needed to deal with a fan-girl moment. Trust me, you don't want that!" I said.

Then in the distance a "AHHH! IT WAS _HIM_!" shout was heard.

"I'd say she remembered who you were," said Ash.

"Yeah," I shuddered. "Glad I wasn't there when it happened." I buried my hands inside both Vixey's and Chrono's fur and smiled. "Well I'm just glad I could change her ways before she became too evil."

"That's for sure," replied Vixey.

I nodded, a content smile plastered on my face. Chrono saw this and grinned evilly. "You thinking bout that kiss?" he asked.

"What! No! She's jailbait. Big time!" I said while blushing lightly, remembering the feeling of her lips on mine. I also remembered her sent; a sweet smell to be sure.

"So? She's cute and she has the hots for you! Just think, in three years her body will have grown into less of a star and more into a supermodel. She's only going to get more curvy from now onwards," Chrono grinned.

"That's it! One more word outta you and you'll lose that intense petting privilege I promised you earlier!" I threatened.

Chrono's eyes widened and he instantly lost the foxy grin on his face. "Shutting up now," he said emotionlessly.

Everyone laughed.


	8. Chapter 8: The Hidden Village in the Lea

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'  
**Kaze - **Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'  
**Sora - **Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'  
**Shiva - **Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'  
**Hikari - **Hayden Panettiere  
**Baihu - **Paul Mercierwho voiced Bear from '.hack/SIGN'  
**Fenrir - **Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'  
**Bahamut - **Jamie Foxx  
**Ifrit - **Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from 'DragonBall Z', Kuromaru from 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles', and Roronoa Zoro from 'One Piece'  
**Eywa - **Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'

(AN: Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across it. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future)

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Hidden Village in the Leaves**

(Cue song Dodo Dance by Sagisu Shiro from BLEACH Original Soundtrack II)

"Don't worry! I'm positive this way will take us back to the path!" said Ash. Pikachu was currently riding on top of his backpack. The rest of us were walking behind him.

We were currently walking through a forest. At some point we turned off the track and headed straight into the long grass. That's why Pikachu was riding up top. Vixey and Chrono were walking on the ground but only their tails and heads poked above the grass.

"Positive, huh?" asked Brock sceptically.

"That's what you said an hour ago! I'm tired," complained Misty. And she was right. We had been going at it for a few hours now. Ash had also refused my help when I offered to release Kaze and have him scout out the area. He claimed that he was going to solve this on his own.

"I told you to stick to the main road but you had to take a short cut!" continued Misty.

"I took a short cut! It was you who said to go this way!" countered Ash.

"Ha! If I was leading the way, we wouldn't have gotten lost like this!" Misty struck back.

"Who says we're lost?"

"Listen genius! If you don't know where you are or where you're going that means you're lost!"

"Ok you two! Calm down!" I said loudly.

Misty sighed. "All right," she said before glaring at Ash. "But remind me to yell at Ash some more when we get to Vermillion city."

"You got my permission!" said Chrono loudly.

After another 10 minutes of wandering around we came across a spot that was perfect for a rest.

"Break time," I announced and we all found a patch of grass or a smooth rock to sit on.

I then heard a noise that sounded like someone or something was drinking some water. I turned towards the source and saw that it was an Oddish drinking at a small forest spring.

Ash spotted it too and he immediately looked it up in his PokeDEX.

"Oddish, this Pokémon is typically found roaming the forest, scattering pollen as it walks around."

"I'll catch it!" said Ash in excitement.

"Hold it!" said Misty as she walked in front of Ash, blocking him from his capture.

"What for?" asked Ash, a little put out.

"Because I'm going to catch that Pokémon," she said, pointing to herself.

"Ohh, no way Misty! I saw it first!" argued Ash.

"But we found it around the water and water's my specialty," reasoned Misty.

"But I thought you were only interested in Water Pokémon?" asked Ash.

"A good trainer needs to branch out sometimes," she said as an explanation.

At that point the Oddish began to walk away.

"Ah... it's leaving," I said in a monotone.

(Cue song Sizzle Dizzle by Kenii Yamamoto from Dragon Ball Z Burst Limit Original Soundtrack)

They turned around and Misty threw her Starmie poke ball. The Pokémon landed in front of the uninterested Oddish whose disposition changed to a freaked out one. It then proceeded to run away for real.

"Water gun now!" ordered Misty and Starmie complied, sending a jet of water that shot the Oddish straight into the air.

"Now that's the way to spray!" said Misty cheesily, with both Chrono and I face palming or face tailing. Misty then ordered a round of Tackle attack which effectively KO'd the Oddish. Misty went in for the catch but was interrupted when a Bulbasaur struck the Pokeball away with Vine Whip.

Ash immediately went all puppy eyed on it as he recognised it as it was one of the three Kanto starter Pokémon and would have surely been advertised on the TV.

"Ho boy, we have a fan-boy moment here," I said with a raised eyebrow as Vixey and Chrono sniggered softly.

_"Bulbasaur; it bares the seed of a plant on its back from birth. The seed slowly develops. Researchers are unsure whether to classify Bulbasaur as a plant or animal. Bulbasaur are extremely tough and very difficult to capture in the wild,"_ was the lengthy description Ash's PokeDEX gave.

The wild Bulbasaur then charged forward and gave a strong tackle attack to Starmie which bounced it back to Misty where it drooped weakly in her arms.

"Now it's my turn to try!" said Ash. "Bulbasaur is mine! Butterfree! I choose you!" Ash flung the poke ball into the air and released the chosen Pokémon.

Ash ordered in a curtain of Sleep Powder but Bulbasaur took a deep breath and blew the drifting powder away, back into Butterfree's face. The powder ran its course and the result was Butterfree as knocked out as a blacked out, die hard soccer fan after his team won the FIFA World Cup from drinking too many beers in the celebration. From there the now recovered Oddish and Bulbasaur retreated into the tall grass and escaped.

"Oh... the Bulbasaur...," said Ash. "It's not fair! I want it!" he whined.

* * *

(Cue music silence)

Ten minutes later we were following Ash as he tried to track down the Bulbasaur that escaped. We had come across a raging river with a rickety wooden bridge over it.

I sighed. "I just know this is going to end badly," I said to myself.

Ash laughed. "I bet there are Bulbasaur all over this place," he said as he walked onto the bridge with us following him.

"But where is this place?" asked Misty.

Brock pulled out his map. "I can't find this bridge on my map," he said before a strong gust of wind made the whole bridge twist. Then the rope snapped.

(Cue song Encounter by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children OST. Played once.)

The whole bridge jolted once before the collapsed side turned the bridge horizontally and we were holding on for dear life.

For a few moments we were struggling before Brock slipped off. I and my Pokémon jumped after him, knowing that Ash and Misty would be fine on their own. We impacted the water and I began to swim after Brock in the rapid water current. "Hang on Brock!" I said before diving my hand underwater and gripping Bahamut's poke ball.

"Give us a hand Bahamut!" I cried out and released him.

As soon as he was materialised he acted to save us by using Psychic to pull us out of the water and onto his back, one by one. Brock was just about to be saved when someone else did it for us. It was a young woman with blue hair and a pink shirt.

"I got you just hold on!" she said as she tried to pull Brock up. She seemed to be having trouble so Bahamut helped with using Psychic to get him out. Bahamut then wove through the air to where Brock and the woman were and deposited us on the ground.

"Thanks Bahamut!" I said gratefully as I recalled him back into his poke ball. I then turned to the unknown woman. "And thank you miss," I said.

"Oh no. Not at all. I just happened to be passing along when I saw you and your Pokémon gliding across the river," she explained.

"Thanks for helping me," said Brock to the both of us. He then turned to me. "I've never known of a Dragonair to use Psychic before?" he asked.

"Freak of nature," I replied. "I don't really know myself. But I'm not complaining." I then turned back to the woman. "By the way miss, we don't yet know your name?" I asked.

"Oh yes. My name is Melanie and I'm in charge of the Konoha Hidden Village," she introduced herself.

"The Konoha Hidden Village... I've heard of that name before. It's like a Pokémon Health Spa, right?" I asked.

"You could say that," she replied. "Come with me. I'll take you back to my house."

Brock and I looked at each other before we grinned. "Thanks Melanie," we both said before we proceeded to follow her along the trail. About five minutes later we arrived at a large wooden hut next to a gentle pool and green grass carpeted the whole clearing. There were several Pokémon munching on food in front of the house.

(Cue song Innumerable animals by Motoi Sakuraba from Eternal Sonata OST)

"Wow! This is a nice place!" I said before I spotted a Bulbasaur with the group. He was currently eying me warily.

"Hey Brock," I said to get his attention. I then pointed to the Pokémon in question. "Isn't that the same Bulbasaur from before?" I asked.

Brock looked at him before nodding. "Sure looks like it," he replied.

"Well, while we're here, I might as well release my Pokémon for some relaxation." I then looked at Melanie. "Is that alright?" I asked.

"Oh sure! You're more than welcome to do so," she replied.

"Well then," I grinned before releasing everyone from their poke balls. "Come on out everyone!"

After a few moments of looking around, my companions spread out in the clearing. Ifrit and Eywa moved to a large tree and sat underneath it, holding on to each other and observing their surroundings with smiles on their faces. Chrono and Baihu began snoozing in the sun. Hikari and Fenrir struck up conversations with some of the other Pokémon. Bahamut and Sora swam lazily in the pool. And Shiva and Kaze took to the skies to stretch their wings.

"Don't fly too far off!" I called to them before smiling. I then looked down at Vixey who hadn't left. "Aren't you going to do some relaxing?" I asked.

"Nah," she said, shocking Melanie. "I think I'll stick with you."

"She can talk?" asked Melanie in an awed voice.

"Yeah, they all can," I said. "Well I better go find Ash and Misty. Chances are they got into some sort of trouble."

"Yeah," agreed Brock.

"Who are they?" asked Melanie.

"They're our friends. Do you mind if we bring them back here?" asked Brock.

"Sure!" replied the blue haired woman.

"Ok, we'll be back soon," I said before I turned to Brock. "You stay here. Vixey and I'll go find those two." Brock nodded before Vixey and I left the clearing.

It wasn't long before we came across the two. Currently they were hoisted 15 feet off the ground in a net.

"Well," I said loudly, gaining their attention. "You're not in the kind of trouble I thought you were in but that's probably a good thing."

"Hey Josh!" called Ash. "Can you cut us down?"

"Sure thing! Give me a second." I began to rummage through the undergrowth and soon found the anchor. I untied the rope and slowly let down the two kids and one Pokémon. They stepped out and sighed.

"Thanks Josh," said Misty.

"No probs," I replied.

"So where did you guys go to?" asked Ash as we began to walk back to Konoha. I told the story with Vixey injecting a few titbits of info.

"Man, that's even better than pirates. Unless she was a pirate in disguise," said Ash. Vixey and I looked at Ash with WTF written all over our faces.

"Maybe it's time to get a reality check," suggested Misty in a slightly exasperated manner. Ash realised this and laughed sheepishly.

After a few minutes of walking we arrived back at the Konoha Village. Currently Melanie was feeding the Pokémon under her care while chatting to Brock.

"Ash, Misty, welcome to Konoha Village. A place for injured or abandoned Pokémon to rest and heal before setting back out into the world," I said as the two newcomers looked about the clearing. Melanie and Brock heard me and turned around to wave at us. We all walked up to them.

"Good to see you two are ok. Melanie, this is Ash and Misty," introduced Brock.

"Hello," said Ash.

"Hi," included Misty.

"So you're Josh and Brock's friends. They've told me about you," she said.

"Look at all the Pokémon," breathed Ash as he looked around at all the different types. Most were normal, grass or bug types; typical for a forest area. "Do you take care of all these Pokémon?" he asked.

Melanie nodded. "That's right. I help these Pokémon heal both on the outside as well as on the inside before they leave feeling much better."

"Like a Pokémon health spa?" asked Misty.

"That's what I said. It's near enough though," I answered.

"So this is a Pokémon Centre and Melanie is a Pokémon doctor?" said Misty, trying to hit the proverbial nail on the head.

"Oh no, I'm not qualified to be a Pokémon doctor," replied Melanie. "Here the Pokémon don't battle with each other. They relax and try to enjoy themselves until they recover." She broke off as laughter, both human like and Pokémon like, drifted across the clearing. Looking over I saw Hikari and Fenrir entertaining a few Rattata kids, earning giggles from everyone watching, including Shiva and Kaze who had landed back in the clearing a few moments before we arrived.

"Cool!" said Misty.

"Melanie collects plants to use in medicine. She knows all about which plants can help a Pokémon feel better or grow stronger when it's too weak," explained Brock.

"So you and Melanie both love to take care of Pokémon," said Ash.

"We do," replied Brock, watching a certain girl closely.

"Well, it looks to me like there's something else Brock might love," said Misty slyly. This got Brock out of daydreaming as his whole face lit up like a Stop light. Both Vixey and I began to laugh as well as Chrono who just re-joined us. Brock panicked slightly before placing his hand over Misty's mouth to prevent any more 'slip ups'.

"Be quiet!" he whispered furiously. "She might hear you!" Misty just laughed. Poor Ash didn't get it.

"I wonder who put up that net?" asked Ash.

"Most likely they were defences to keep poachers or trainers away. Keep them from harming or catching these Pokémon when they're still weak," I explained.

"I see," replied Ash in understanding. "Well we promise not to catch any Pokémon while we're here."

"Thank you very much, Ash. I appreciate it," thanked Melanie.

"Same here," said Misty.

"Me too," added Brock.

[Cue song Moving Clouds on the River's Surface by Kumi Tanioka from "FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES" Original Soundtrack (Disc 1)]

A few minutes later we were taking care of a few Pokémon. Brock and Ash were taking care of a Staryu while Misty was talking to the Oddish she had tried to catch earlier. Curious I decided to listen in on what she was saying.

"Sorry about what happened in the forest," said Misty.

_"S'ok,"_ translated Vixey for the Oddish.

"I shouldn't have surprised you like that. You must've been scared," added the red head.

_"Well I was a little freaked out,"_ replied Oddish.

"Melanie tole me your old trainer got rid of you. Was it really because he thought you were too weak?" she asked.

_"Yeah..."_ replied Oddish sadly.

"You know, some trainers can be insensitive, but not all of us are mean like that," said Misty as she scratched the base of Oddish's leaves softly. "You just need to find a trainer who understands you. Anyway I'm sorry for what I did and I hope we can become friends..." It was at this point that she began to crumble slightly as tears welled up in her eyes.

_"What the..."_ replied Oddish before reaching out with one leaf and wiping the tears away from one eye. The Pokémon then spoke at some length while Misty just looked on.

"It's ok! I forgive you. You're a trainer and that's what trainers do, catch Pokémon. I don't blame you and I understand that not all trainers are like that. So don't cry," said Vixey out loud as we walked over to her. She looked up, confusion on her face. "That's what Oddish says," she added. "So maybe you should take his advice."

"Is that what you really said?" asked Misty to the little Pokémon. Oddish nodded while smiling. She smiled back. "Thank you Oddish. Lately all I've been thinking about is winning. I hope I'm not becoming heartless." I was about to say something when Mr. Insensitive walked by.

"You're always heartless," said Ash.

Before anything more could be said I bonked him on the head. "They were having a moment! Stop being such an ass!" I growled.

"Owwwww," was all Ash said before the same Bulbasaur that protected the Oddish from before charged up and slammed into Misty, sending her tumbling.

"Hey! It's rude to tackle people!" said Misty, slightly peeved.

"She's right!" agreed Ash. The only response was the Pokémon scratching at the ground as if preparing to strike again.

"I know. You're just mad because I was going to beat you but chickened out and ran off!" said Ash.

"I doubt it's something like that and you weren't about to win," I said.

"Well let's see how tough he really is!" said Ash before I stood in his way.

"Ash, do you intend to break your promise to Melanie?" I asked, very seriously. Melanie herself was about to interfere herself.

Ash recoiled slightly as he remembered. He then relaxed. "Sorry," he said in a subdued voice.

"Don't worry 'bout it," I replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm just glad you didn't go back on your promise. I reckon that Bulbasaur is only trying to protect Oddish."

"Really?" asked Ash.

"That's right," said Melanie as she walked up to us. "Bulbasaur volunteered to guard Konoha Village. He protects all the injured Pokémon whenever enemies try to attack them."

"See?" I said as both Ash and Misty nodded.

"Bulbasaur is the bravest and most loyal Pokémon I know," added the blue haired woman.

"So that's why Bulbasaur attacked me. He must've thought I was taking Oddish away," said Misty. We were then interrupted as Bulbasaur was pushing at Ash's leg firmly. "Now what?" asked Ash.

"Bulbasaur doesn't like Pokémon trainers. He wants you to leave the village now," explained Melanie.

"But we're not here to catch Pokémon. We just want to help!" Misty tried to explain.

"That's right Bulbasaur. These are our friends," said Melanie. But the Pokémon just continued to push strongly against Ash.

"Bulbasaur was worried about the Pokémon so he decided to be the village bodyguard," said Ash to himself. "Now that's what I call bravery! It would be great to have a Pokémon like that on my team."

(Cue song Stalemate by Takanashi Yasuharu from NARUTO Shippuuden Original Soundtrack)

All of a sudden we heard voices speaking a familiar motto from up above us.

"Oi, here we go again," I muttered in slight annoyance. "I thought they would have given up by now!"

We all looked up as an immense shape blotted out the sun. Then the thing came crashing down on top of the trees several meters away from the clearing.

"What in the flying fuck is that thing!" I yelled to Team Rocket.

"It's the Jessie flying stadium!" called Jessie.

"Hey! The flying stadium was my idea!" retorted James.

"Oh, right," she replied sheepishly. Then a huge hose extended itself from the stadium to crash into the clearing.

"Oh that doesn't look good," I said to no one in particular. I was right as the hose bean to create a powerful vacuum. Jessie, James and Meowth said something but I couldn't hear them over the roar of the wind.

Then Staryu began to get pulled towards the gaping hose but Ash grabbed it and secured it with his arms. "They never run out of ideas!" yelled Ash.

"This better not become a daily occurrence!" I yelled as I recalled everyone except for Vixey, Chrono and Eywa who in turn began to use Psychic to keep the Pokémon in place.

"Everybody! Get inside!" yelled Brock as he had opened the door to the hut. Currently the Pokémon were making their way to the hut.

"Eywa! Get the Pokémon you got into the house!" I yelled to her. She nodded, her ruby red eyes glowing slightly as she drew in her captured Pokémon and herded them into the hut. A cry from Misty alerted us to her and we saw that she had tried to grab the Oddish but he slipped out of her grasp. "No! Oddish!"

"Eywa!" I shouted but before she could extend her Psychic field to the Pokémon, he was caught thanks to Bulbasaur's Vine Whip. He then proceeded to carry the Pokémon back but because the wind was quite strong he was moving quite slowly. Ash handed the Staryu to Misty before he ran over to Bulbasaur and began to push him towards the house, increasing his speed. The three arrived at the house and I shut the door.

(Cue song Companions by Takanashi Yasuharu from NARUTO Shippuuden Original Soundtrack)

"Thanks Eywa," I said, smiling at her. She in turn wrapped her thin arms around me in a comforting hug. "You're welcome Josh," she replied warmly. I smiled, feeling her own emotions projected into my mind thanks to her psychic abilities. I also felt her large breasts press into my chest and I started to get hard from the feeling but I focused on her emotions instead of her soft and warm boobs. I then recalled her before I got too uncomfortable and turned to Ash. He was looking at me in a slightly confused manner. So was everyone else.

"What?" I asked, hoping they didn't see my hard on.

"Well it's just you seem really close," said Misty with Ash and Brock nodding.

"Well I think of her as a mother figure," I said despite the feeling in my lower regions. Damn me being so damn horny.

"What about your own mum?" asked Ash.

"She died a long time ago," I replied, not the least bit saddened.

"I'm sorry," said Misty.

I shook my head. "No need for that. I've long since gotten over it. Besides, my mum wouldn't want me to wallow in self sorrow."

"Is that your mum talking, or Eywa?" asked Brock. I grinned. "Both."

(Cue song OPENING -DW S2H MIX- by Toru Hasebe from Dynasty Warriors 5 OST)

Just then a loud creaking and tearing sound began to sound throughout the cabin. "They're trying to suck up the whole cabin!" said Misty.

Bulbasaur then jumped out of a window and after a few seconds the wind backed off. We all rushed outside.

"Pidgeotto! I choose you!" summoned Ash and the bird Pokémon flew up high.

"Kaze! Help him out!" I yelled as I released my Pidgeot. Kaze roared out of the poke ball and levelled out next to Pidgeotto.

"Gust Attack!" ordered Ash.

"Kaze! Use Air Slash!" I ordered.

Pidgeotto's Gust attack combined with Kaze's powerful Air Slash sent Team Rocket packing. They shot into the sky yelling, "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

(Cue song Himura Kenshin -Gut Guitar Version- by Noriyuki Asakura from Rurouni Kenshin OST I)

"Nice job!" I yelled out to Kaze before recalling him, Ash doing the same.

"Is everyone ok?" asked Melanie.

"I just had the wind knocked out of me," joked Ash.

"Laaaaaaaame," I groaned and he laughed sheepishly. "I swear, sometimes you're as bad as Misty"

"What was that?" yelled the red-head.

"Noooothinggg," I replied with a grin.

"Konoha's well protected with Bulbasaur here," said Ash.

"Ash, don't you think Bulbasaur would be an excellent addition to your team?" asked Melanie.

"Hell yeah!" answered Ash.

"I think Bulbasaur should go with you," continued Melanie as she picked up the Pokémon. Looking at Ash's confused face Melanie explained. "Bulbasaur has stayed to protect the weaker Pokémon but this village is too small. The bulb on his back can't grow. He needs to go out into the world now and I know you'll take good care of it."

Ash still looked a little dubious. "Ash, I think that it's a good idea. Pokémon need the chance to grow and mature," I suggested.

"Please Ash, take Bulbasaur with you on your journey. He'll be a good companion," said Melanie before offering the Pokémon in her arms toward Ash.

"But what's going to happen to the Village without its protector?" asked Misty.

"That's right," agreed Brock.

"It's true that Bulbasaur has done a great job. Maybe too great a job," said the blue haired woman.

"I get it. The Pokémon don't want to leave because this place is so safe," I said.

"I think it's important that they are returned to the wild; that's where Pokémon belong. And hopefully someday they'll find good trainers like you four. Of course taking care of sick Pokémon will always be my mission, but I know my job isn't finished until they've returned where they've come from. So it's the day a Pokémon leaves that is most rewarding to me. So you see it's time for Bulbasaur to leave here. Please take him with you. He won't be a burden, I promise. Bulbasaur still has a lot of growing to do. I want him to be in a place where I'm sure he can grow strong and happy. I'm sure that place is with you, Ash.'

After that speech everyone was, well, speechless. But Ash nodded. "If you really want me to..."

_"Hang on a sec there!"_ said Bulbasaur with Chrono translating. _"I'm not going to just hand myself over. You have to battle me and win for me to say yes."_

"Well in that case, Bring. It. On!" said Ash, grinning.

"Oh! Oh! Can I battle Bulbasaur? Please! Please! Pretty please!" asked Misty.

"No way," Ash cut her of swiftly.

"Misty, stop whining. Melanie and Bulbasaur chose Ash, not you," I said.

A minute later it was Pikachu squaring off against Bulbasaur.

"This is going to be an interesting battle. Electricity against grass isn't a good match up. But Pikachu is one powerful jolter," I said as I settled into a sitting position on the ground with Vixey and Chrono beside me. Misty and Brock were sitting with us.

_"You ready?"_ asked Pikachu.

_"Bring it!"_ replied Bulbasaur.

(Cue song CHAIN [ROCKIN' 8 GLIDER MIX] by Skankfunk from Air Gear Original Soundtrack 2)

"Pikachu! Go!" yelled Ash and the yellow Pokémon dashed forward. In defence Bulbasaur whipped out his Vine Whips and proceeded to try and hit Pikachu however unsuccessfully. Realising this Bulbasaur charged forward in a head on tackle and sent Pikachu flying. The Pokémon crashed into the ground and began to stand up when he received a second tackle. Pikachu was spinning uncontrollably but he spread out his arms and feet to stop spinning and he landed without crashing.

He then charged quickly and delivered a strong tackle to Bulbasaur's chin. Bulbasaur recovered quickly and once again struck out with his vines. This time they found their mark and Pikachu was quickly bound up. Bulbasaur then proceeded to slam Pikachu up and down repeatedly. But Ash just grinned.

"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

The Pokémon complied and discharged massive amounts of electricity that travelled down Bulbasaur's vines and shocked him into submission. Seeing his chance Ash quickly launched an empty poke ball and watched as Bulbasaur was captured. And after six seconds the poke ball stilled as Bulbasaur inside accepted his defeat.

(Cue song VICTORY JUBILEE -DW PRIME MIX- from Dynasty Warriors 6 OST)

"We did it! We caught Bulbasaur!" shouted Ash in victory as he did his pose; the V for victory sign. Pikachu copied him, also happy there was a new addition to the team.

"I'll miss you Bulbasaur," said Melanie softly.

* * *

(Cue song Twins C Medium by Satoshi Hosoi from Onegai Twins Complete Original Soundtrack)

After Bulbasaur was healed up from the battle, we all were standing outside of the cabin. "Well, you have a safe trip!" said Melanie.

"I promise to take good care of Bulbasaur," promised Ash.

Melanie bent down to pat Bulbasaur on the head fondly. "Thank you for watching over us," she said.

_"I'll miss you,"_ he replied.

"Uh, Melanie, I've been thinking," Brock spoke up, his face slightly red.

"Yes?" asked Melanie.

"Well since Bulbasaur is leaving I wouldn't mind staying and helping you out."

Melanie just smiled. "It's very kind of you but we'll be ok. I wouldn't want to keep you from all of your wonderful adventures."

"Oh... yeah I guess you're right," he admitted.

"Plus you need to become the world's best Pokémon breeder. You can't do that here," I said.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, smiling slightly embarrassed that he forgot his dream momentarily.

We then began to make our way away from Konoha village. "Goodbye Melanie!" called Ash.

"Goodbye! Good luck!" she called back with some of the Pokémon waving as well, especially Oddish.

_"Goodbye friends,"_ said Bulbasaur sadly before bighting up and looking forward.

"Don't worry Bulbasaur. You'll see your friends again. As soon as the Pokémon feel better they'll leave too," said Ash.

_"You're right,"_ the Pokémon replied.

"Take good care of each other! Bu-bye!" was Melanie's lingering words as we walked out of earshot.

Looking at Brock he seemed down. Misty grinned and said, "So, what did Melanie say when you said you loved her? Did you kiss her goodbye?" she teased.

Brock's face was glowing as he placed his hand over her mouth again. "That's enough stupid questions! Would you please stop embarrassing me already? You know, ok, she is kinda cute and I understand that..."

"Uh? Did I miss something?" asked Ash as they floundered around.

"Not really," I said to him, grinning at his cluelessness. I could tell that Vixey and Chrono were also sporting identical grins like me.

_"What the?"_ was all Bulbasaur had to say about their weirdness.


	9. Chapter 9: Friendship Over Strength

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'  
**Kaze - **Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'  
**Sora - **Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'  
**Shiva - **Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'  
**Hikari - **Hayden Panettiere  
**Baihu - **Paul Mercierwho voiced Bear from '.hack/SIGN'  
**Fenrir - **Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'  
**Bahamut - **Jamie Foxx  
**Ifrit - **Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from 'DragonBall Z', Kuromaru from 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles', and Roronoa Zoro from 'One Piece'  
**Eywa - **Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'

(AN: Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across one. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future)

**Chapter 9: Friendship Over Strength**

(Cue song A Lengthy Journey by Naoki Sato from Eureka seveN OST 1 Disc 1)

"There's nothing here but Spearows!" complained Ash as he looked through a pair of binoculars for new Pokémon.

We had been on the road for a few days after the Konoha incident but still hadn't arrived at Vermillion City. Currently I was brushing Vixey and Chrono's hair while watching the others.

"Well that's the least of our worries, isn't it?" growled Misty.

"Just because we're a little lost, doesn't mean I have to stop catching all the Pokémon I can, does it?" asked Ash.

_"That's right,"_ agreed Pikachu

"Of course not. Enjoy yourself!" replied Misty very sarcastically. She then sighed. "I just can't go one step further!" She then began to flail about in an annoyed manner. "We've been looking for Vermilion City for ten whole days!"

"Ah," said Brock, who had been previously looking at the map, pointed at a spot on Misty. "There's a bug right on your..." he didn't have the chance to finish as Misty flipped out and jumped into the air, to land perfectly on Ash's shoulders. "Get it away!" she squealed.

"Wow, that's impressive," I blinked at Misty's acrobatics.

Brock smiled a little sheepish as he picked up a stalk of Cat's Tail grass. "Ah, it was just a piece of grass." He began to laugh good naturedly but stopped as he saw Misty glowering at him. Before he copped a foot in the face.

"I'm going crazy! Where are we?!" yelled Misty.

"According to this," said Ash after he caught the map that had been flung out of Brock's hands. "We're in the middle of no-where."

"You don't need a map to know that, dumbass," muttered Chrono.

"But it looks like Route 24 leads straight for Vermilion City," Ash finished, pointing to a spot on the map.

"Does this trail lead us to Route 24?" asked Misty.

"According to my calculations it does," replied Ash.

"What calculations?" Chrono asked incrediously.

"Alright! Then let's get this show on the road!" said Misty as she slung her backpack onto her shoulder and began to walk forward, until a shadow fell over her and she looked up to see a large shadowy figure in front of her.

"Hey Ash! Take a look at this thing!" she said.

"It looks like some kind of giant Pokémon!" he exclaimed.

"Oh Arceus! You two are such dumbasses! Take a closer look!" groaned Chrono. "I swear if I hang around with you two any longer, I'm going to insist that I be carried around in a Pokeball so I don't catch stupid from you two."

Ash looked closer and realised that it was only a Charmander sitting on a large rock. Misty, however was too busy trying to squash Chrono with her giant hammer.

"Huh, it's a Charmander," said Brock as he took a look as well.

"Wonder what a wild one's doing here? It's extremely rare to see one in the wild. Usually they're bred as starter Pokémon for trainers just starting out," I said.

_"Charmander. A flame burns on the tip of its tail from birth. It is said that a Charmander dies if its flame ever goes out,"_ was the info Ash's PokeDEX gave out.

"When I went to get my first Pokémon from Professor Oak, I was disappointed because I couldn't get a Charmander. Now I can catch my own!" said Ash eagerly.

"I dunno..." said Misty dubiously. "It looks like it's in bad shape."

"Yeah, catch it and we'll take it to the Pokémon centre for help," suggested Brock.

Ash wound up his poke ball pitch.

"Hang on a sec!" I said and Ash paused in his throw. "What's up?" he asked.

"I have a theory," I said simply before walking up to the rock and looking into the Pokémon's eyes. "Do you already have a trainer?" I asked. The Charmander nodded.

"Aww, nuts!" pouted Ash.

"Why are you out here all by yourself?" I asked. The Pokémon spoke for some length. I looked at Vixey.

"He says that he made a promise with his trainer. He told him to stay put on this rock and that he would come back later to pick him up," reported Vixey.

"Hmmm," I said, thinking. "Well, we can't do anything about it. He's caught and is loyal to his trainer. He'll be ok."

"I hope his trainer comes back soon," said Ash before we split from the Pokémon and continued down the road.

About half an hour later we spotted the Pokémon centre. "Route 24 can't be too far," said Ash and we started out for the building. But then the skies opened up and we began to get pelted by rain. Pikachu's cheeks began to discharge slightly from the rain.

(Cue song Kamiya Dojo -A Theme of Kenshin's Family- by Noriyuki Asakura from Rurouni Kenshin OST I)

"Hurry!" called Ash as we began to make a break for the Pokémon centre. We quickly rushed inside and sighed as warmth flowed around and through our bodies. The warmth came from a large fireplace in the middle of the room. There were circular couches surrounding the fire. We opted for a table at the window. Ash, Brock, Vixey, Chrono and I stayed behind at the table while Misty went to get us some food.

"Here you go! Nice hot soup," Misty said as she came back with several bowls of soup. She passed out three to us and set two down on the ground for my Ninetails, who began to lap it up.

"Thanks Misty," Ash and I said. But Brock was silent; a thoughtful look on his face.

"You still thinking about that Charmander?" I asked.

"Yeah... I'm just wondering if anyone came to pick him up yet?"

"You think it might be a dump off?" I asked, though knowing the answer. Brock nodded.

"I don't think that Charmander would wait around this long, do you?" asked Ash.

"He could be very trusting of the trainer and out of pure faith he would stay there," I said sadly.

"Well maybe his trainer really has picked him up by now," said Brock, feeling better. However that was to be short lived.

(Cue song Kakehiki by WATABE Chierul from Prince of Tennis Original Soundtrack 2)

A large amount of laughing sounded at the fireplace area and we looked to see a bunch of kids crowded around one boy and his poke ball hoard.

"Look at them. It's a pretty cool collection!" said the boy who wore a slightly cowboyish outfit. He had blue short hair and a smirk on his face.

"Way cool!" said another boy.

"You're the man, Damion!"

"Hey? I thought you had a Charmander too?"

"Yeah," said Damion. "I had one but the puny thing was so weak, it couldn't even beat the weakest of opponents."

"I don't like his attitude," said Misty.

"Just some run-of-the-mill hotshot who thinks he's all man from a few captures and a few wins," I muttered as I glared at him. Chrono and Vixey had stopped eating themselves to regard the boy in an unfriendly manner.

"Charmander may be weak against water Pokémon, but if their trainers work hard, it can be strong," said Brock, also rubbed off by this boy's attitude.

"So what did you do with the Charmander?"

"Eh, I left it on some rock in the woods," said Damion.

"What?!" said Misty, Brock and Ash.

"That thing is so stupid!" continued Damion. "No matter what I do it keeps on following me. I finally got rid of it by promising it I'd come back for it. It fell for it! It's probably still out there waiting for me." He then burst into laughter with his posse laughing along with him.

"So he's the one!" said Ash heatedly.

"Yeah and he's still waiting for him on that rock," agreed Misty.

But Brock had had enough. He slammed his hands on the table and stormed over there.

"Brock? What are you doing?" asked Ash but Brock ignored him.

"Oh boy," I said before standing up and following him, making sure he didn't do anything stupid.

"I bet it's still up there, wagging its tail," said one boy.

"It'll probably wag it so hard that it'll put the flame out," said another.

"Yeah! For sure!" agreed Damion before bursting into uncaring laughter. That is, until Brock grabbed his collar with both hands and hoisted him up slightly. "Go and get it!" said Brock forcefully.

"Huh?"

"That Charmander is still out there, waiting for you. Go and get it now!"

"Why should I?" asked Damion, placing his hands on Brock's wrists.

"You lied to your Pokémon and said you'd be back! Now it's waiting out there in the rain for you! And if it's tail flame goes out, it'll die!" Brock explained, trying to shock the trainer into thinking straight.

"Oi!" Damion said before brushing his hands off. "What I do is none of your business!"

"I'd do as he says," I said in an ice cold voice.

"What'd you say," he said as he looked over at me. I noticed that Ash and Misty had joined us.

"What, are you deaf as well as cruel?" I asked.

"And you want to be a Pokémon trainer," said Ash, totally disgusted. Pikachu also looked pissed.

"You want to fight me?" he asked, picking up a poke ball. "You better not mess with Damion," said one of his posse.

"Sure. I'll obliterate you," I said coldly. Vixey and Chrono began to growl lowly at Damion, intent on taking him on. We looked at each other before, unfortunately, Nurse Joy came between us. "Let's break it up! You know the rules! Pokémon are never to be used in personal fights!"

(Cue music silence)

'She's naive if she thinks that never happens,' I thought, but stood down. I didn't want to get in trouble. I might be a Pokémon Master, but I wasn't stupid enough to risk my Master license over something like this.

"It's disrespectful to the Pokémon and their trainers!" finished Joy. However I could tell that Vixey, Chrono and Pikachu disagreed with her on that point quite strongly.

"Yeah, well tell them they better watch what they say!" said Damion angrily before walking away, his posse following.

"I think you'd be better off not to get mixed up with them," said Joy as Damion's gang moved off. "They have a very bad reputation."

"Uh," said Brock as Joy turned to him, smiling. "T-Thanks for the advice," he stuttered. She giggled slightly before moving off.

"She sure is pretty. I've never seen anyone so pretty as her," said Brock with a prominent blush on his face.

"What are you talking about? She looks just like the other Joys," said Misty.

"I think we could've easily taken them," said Ash.

"Damn straight," I said. "After I would be finished with them, they would be too terrified to battle ever again." I then sighed before walking over and flicking Brock hard on the forehead. "Snap out of it, man! We got a Pokémon to save!"

"Uh?" he said before what I said pierced his hormone fogged brain. "That's right!" he said. We then quickly grabbed our raincoats out of our bags and dashed out of the centre.

(Cue song Downdraft by Mark Mancina & Paul Salamunovich from Twister Original Score)

The rain was now pounding down. Everything was wet. Nothing was spared. On top of that, the wind was blowing strongly. It was also dark.

"This is dangerous! Going out into a storm like this to help a Pokémon. What if we all catch pneumonia?" complained Misty.

"Then maybe you just should've stayed back at the centre instead of coming along and whining all the way!" said Chrono, pissed off at her constant whining.

"Yeah! Nobody asked you to follow along," said Ash who was also peeved at Misty.

"Well, gotta help a Pokémon in need," she winked.

"Then stop complaining, will you?" I asked. We then fell silent as we continued along.

We then saw Charmander being attacked by several Sperow.

"Vixey! Chrono! Use Firestom to stop the Sperow and heat up Charmander!" I ordered.

"Ok!" they said before letting loose a powerful fire spin that merged and cooked the Sperow around the Pokémon as well as warm it up. The bullies then fled, outmatched.

"Brock! Use your coat and wrap Charmander up! Ash, make sure you keep the tail flame lit!" I ordered. They took to their jobs instantly.

We then ran back to the Pokémon Centre. Ash and Brock were already soaked to the bone from the rain but they didn't complain. Vixey, Chrono and I led the way while Pikachu and Misty brought up the rear.

"Hold on! You can make it Charmander!" called out Brock.

After several minutes of running through ice cold rain and harsh winds we burst through the Pokémon Centre's entrance. Nurse Joy was waiting for us.

"Joy! We have a Charmander in need of immediate medical attention!" I yelled. She sprang to attention straight away. She came over and assessed the situation. "There's not much time!"

* * *

Half an hour later we were standing outside. The operation light above the door was on and so there wasn't much more we could do. So we just waited. I continued to write new lyrics for my new songs. Ash fidgeted constantly. Misty moved around a bit to make sure she didn't go stiff. Only Brock stayed in front of the doors.

(Cue song Nocturne of Amestris by Senju Akira from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Original Soundtrack 2)

And then the light turned off and Nurse Joy walked through the doors, looking tired, but relieved. She saw us and gave off the victory sign.

"Nice one," I sighed in relief.

"Charmander is resting now," she said as she moved out of the way for us to see. The Pokémon was indeed resting, and the flame was stronger than before. Clearly it was on the road to recovery. "It should be fine by morning."

"That's good," said Brock softly before we all stepped away. Chrono and I yawned loudly, indicating that it was time for some sleep.

* * *

(Cue song Songs For The Morning Star by Geoff Knorr and Michael Curran from Civilization V Soundtrack - America Peace)

I awoke before Ash and Misty but Brock seemed to be up already. 'Most likely watching Charmander,' I thought before stretching and yawning. We had slept on the couches surrounding the open fireplace for warmth. I listened for the sound of rain and wind, and smiled when I heard birds chirping instead. The storm had passed.

I sat down and turned on my phone. I tapped the map icon to see how far away we were from Vermillion City. The phone brought up a very detailed map of the surrounding area. I zoomed out until I saw the city on the map. Studying it I saw that there was a town in the middle of the route. However Vermilion was only a few days walk away, not counting the day we would probably spend in the town.

"Guys! Wake up!" came a voice and I turned to see Brock looking very worried. The sudden noise woke Ash violently and he rolled off the couch, missing Pikachu only just as he crashed to the floor.

"What's up?" he asked sleepily. Misty also got up to look in puzzlement at the teenager.

"It's Charmander! He's disappeared from the Pokémon Centre!" he said franticly.

"Calm down Brock. He's most likely at the same rock we saw him at on both occasions," I said. "However we can't force it to abandon Damion; even if he is a piece of shit."

"That's right," said Joy as she walked in behind Brock. "There's nothing you can do until Charmander realises the truth."

And with that we packed up, had breakfast and continued our journey.

"I thought Charmander understood that we cared about it," Brock moped.

"I'm sure he did, but he isn't ready to give up on his trainer just yet," I said. "Give him time."

"That's right. His loyalty isn't blinding him," said Vixey.

Misty then smacked her hand on Brock's back. "C'mon! Route 24 is just ahead!" she said.

"It should only take us three days to get to Vermilion, but there's a town between us and our destination so we'll probably stay there for a day before moving on," I informed everyone.

"Awesome!" said Ash. "There I can get my third badge!"

We continued to walk along at a leisure pace, enjoying the fresh air. "Mmmm, I love the smell that hangs in the air after a downpour," I said. Ash, who was in front, paused. "Huh? You feel that?" he asked.

"Feel what?" asked Misty before the ground disappeared underneath them and they crashed to the bottom. I, however, didn't get caught as I was behind them slightly.

"Damn... you alright down there?" I asked.

"That's a stupid question!" yelled Misty.

There was a rustling next to me and I came face to face with Team Rocket in blue protective gear.

"I can't believe that worked. We're geniuses!" boasted Jessie.

"No, not really," I said. "I'm still here."

They looked at me for a second.

"Uhh, Meowth?" James asked nervously.

"We can still capture Pikachu!" said Meowth.

(Cue song Tenyawanya by WATABE Chierul from Prince of Tennis Original Soundtrack 2)

Pikachu began to run but James pulled out a Bazooka. "We'll use our anti-Pikachu rubber balloon bazooka!" said James. He pressed the fire button and a large rubber balloon squeezed out and began to float towards Pikachu. I looked on in amusement as Pikachu was eventually absorbed into the balloon.

"Josh! Do something!" yelled Ash.

I peered over the edge of the hole. "Sorry, but I made a promise not to directly interfere until they beat you. Are you beat Ash?" I asked.

"No!" he replied.

"Then how bout we compromise and I'll just help you get out of the hole," I said before summoning Eywa. "Would you be so kind as to help our friends up from down there?" I asked.

"Of course," she replied before using Psychic to levitate Ash, Brock and Misty out of the hole.

"Thanks Josh, Eywa," said Ash.

"No problems," I said. Eywa simply smiled and bowed softly.

"Uh oh," said James.

"We better scram!" said Meowth. The three turned around but stopped when they saw Charmander, of all Pokémon, stand in their way.

Charmander then spoke at length to Team Rocket. Meowth translated. "Hey, it's saying we better give Pikachu back to those guys right now."

"It's got to be kidding," said Jessie.

"Now step aside you insolent little firebug. We haven't got time to play with you," said James.

"Team Rocket plays rough! So get moving!" finished Meowth.

Charmander's response was a flamethrower to the face. After he had finished taking out his frustration, Team Rocket were cooked. James simply dropped Pikachu's bag before they bolted.

"Wow! Thanks for the help Charmander!" said Brock.

"You see Brock? Charmander knew it cared. That's why it's here!" said Misty.

"Way to go!" replied Brock.

"Hey Charmander, how would you like to come along with us? I'm afraid your trainer isn't going to be coming back," asked Ash however he spoke too soon.

(Cue music silence)

"Hey Charmander!" came a voice and we turned to see Damion. "Been looking all over for ya!"

"You!" I said, feeling pissed off. Joy may have stopped us in the centre but out here, there were no rules. I felt Vixey and Chrono getting into a fighting position next to me.

"What do you want, Damion?" said Brock who spat his name out like it was something poisonous.

"I came back for Charmander, just like I promised," he said innocently. "So let's go."

Charmander seemed a little unsure as to which side to turn too. "Charmander," I said and he looked up at me. "It's up to you if you want to come with us or not, but learn from past experiences."

"Charmander is mine. I'm the one who caught it, remember?"

"Caught it? You bragged about how you left it out in the rain and wind!" I glared at him.

"Good thing I did! That toughened it up! Besides, what's wrong with dumping off weak Pokémon?" Damion asked.

Eywa narrowed her eyes in fury but I moved my hand in front of her. "Not yet," I said while pointing at Charmander, who was getting pissed.

"I wasn't gonna come back for it, but now that I've seen what it can do, I'm real glad I ran into you guys. The best thing about it, I didn't have to raise it myself."

"That isn't true. The best thing about being a Pokémon trainer is raising the Pokémon you have by yourself," I argued, with Vixey, Chrono and Eywa nodding.

"You wish! It's the most boring part of the job!" answered Damion.

"How dare you call yourself a Pokémon trainer!" said Brock angrily.

"You see? He doesn't care about you, he just wants to use you to win matches!" Misty said to the orange Pokémon.

(Cue song ditty for daddy by Shiro Sagisu from BLEACH Original Soundtrack I)

"Charmander! Return!" said Damion, clearly not liking where this was going, and threw his poke ball at Charmander. But the Pokémon had other ideas, and whipped his tail, sending the ball crashing straight into Damion's face.

"Woo hoo! Bullseye! 100 points to Charmander!" I called out while my team cheered out loud for Charmander.

"That does it! I'll crush you with every Pokémon I got!" he yelled, grabbing every poke ball he had in his possession.

"Hey Charmander, you mind if I take care of this, since you've already given your answer to this jerkoff?" I asked nicely. He nodded. _"Sure, kick his ass!"_ he replied.

I grinned evilly. "Vixey! Use Aura Sphere!"

Vixey mirrored my expression before flipping her tails into position. They were all curled above her head and all centred on a single point. Then a red ball of intense energy was formed there. She released the ball and it slammed straight into Damion. The ensuing explosion sent the kid flying.

"You're OUT!" I called like in a baseball game. "Nice job on the home run!" I said, rubbing Vixey on the head.

(Cue song Tsuyoku Naritai -A Theme of Myoujin Yahiko- by Noriyuki Asakura from Rurouni Kenshin OST I)

Charmander looked at Ash, as if waiting for something.

"Go ahead Ash," said Brock. "You get Charmander. It'll be a great Pokémon."

"But Brock, you saved it. You deserve it, I guess," replied Ash, even though he really wanted the Pokémon. You could see it written all over his face. Apparently so could Brock.

"Right, but don't forget you're the one who kept the flame on its tail lit. I'm sure you'll raise Charmander to become a great Pokémon."

Ash smiled. "Thanks Brock," he said before opening a blank poke ball. "C'mon Charmander, welcome to the team!" Charmander nodded happily and jumped towards the ball, going straight into it.

"You got a new Pokémon, and a new friend!" said Misty.

"Yeah," Ash grinned.

"You're team is shaping up to be a well rounded one," I said, patting Ash on the head. "I'll train you hard so you better be ready!"

"Yes sir!" Ash saluted me.

"Now that that's out of the way, CAN WE PLEASE GET TO VERMILION CITY ALREADY?!" yelled Misty. Our response was to laugh loudly.


	10. Chapter 10: Beacon of Light

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'  
**Kaze - **Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'  
**Sora - **Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'  
**Shiva - **Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'  
**Hikari - **Hayden Panettiere  
**Baihu - **Paul Mercierwho voiced Bear from '.hack/SIGN'  
**Fenrir - **Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'  
**Bahamut - **Jamie Foxx  
**Ifrit - **Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from 'DragonBall Z', Kuromaru from 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles', and Roronoa Zoro from 'One Piece'  
**Eywa - **Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'

(AN: Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across one. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future)

* * *

**Chapter 10: Beacon of Light**

(Cue song Flight by Yasuharu Takanashi from Naruto Shippuden The Movie Original Soundtrack)

The last few days had been interesting. Ash caught a Squirtle, though it was a tough catch to be sure. This certain Pokémon was part of a group called the Squirtle Squad. Each one in the group was abandoned so they eventually formed the group and began to terrorise the town. Somehow Team Rocket joined up with them and together they were able to capture Pikachu, but failed when Chrono and Vixey were able to escape. As we got captured Ash was able to convince the lead Squirtle to go get a Super Potion for Pikachu, who was in serious trouble from the capture.

I later found out that Vixey and Chrono helped Ash get the Super Potion needed and were able to get back to us quickly, but we were interrupted by Jessie and James throwing bombs all over us. It was like a battlefield. In the chaos Meowth was able to grab the recovering Pikachu. Thanks to Ash's heroism, the lead Squirtle was saved from a near explosion. Then the Squirtle saved Ash by carrying him back to the cave with bombs exploding all around them.

I then decided that enough was enough and summoned Bahamut. He in turn used Shockwave to completely tear apart Team Rocket's balloon and blasted them away, but not before he used Psychic and rescued Pikachu from their grasp. Then, seeing that a serious fire was burning out of control, the Squirtle squad began to put out the fire. Bahamut helped out too, using his unique power to summon a rainstorm to pound on the fire. Soon it was out, and the town was saved. They were also appointed as the town's fire fighters. We were also followed out of town by the lead Squirtle who decided to join Ash's team.

And that's where we stood at the moment. Ash now had a full team of Pokémon and as usual, he was bragging about his two badges.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" he said, showing off his badges.

"You didn't earn those badges. You got them just because Brock and my sisters felt sorry for you," snipped Misty.

"I did too!"

"Chill out you two," said Brock, breaking up the fight. "Either way, Ash has got two badges and six Pokémon. He needs those six Pokémon to compete in the Indigo League."

"And I'll just add that while Ash didn't get the badges because people felt sorry for him he didn't earn them completely." I looked at Ash as I said this. "Sorry kiddo, but it's the truth. You got the Bolder Badge because Brock, at the time, wanted you to continue moving toward your dream and to carry his dream as well. Am I right?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," confirmed Brock.

"And Daisy gave Ash the Cascade Badge because Pikachu saved the day from Team Rocket. However the badge should've been won from completing the battle with Misty," I explained.

"I guess," said Ash, looking depressed.

"Cheer up though. You can earn your Thunder Badge the legit way at Vermilion City," I said. Ash cheered up at this point. "Yeah! And I'm going to right now catch the first Pokémon I see to add to my team!" He then sprinted ahead of us.

"Ash!" called Misty but he was already way ahead. "Don't worry. I'll catch up to him!" I said before I, Chrono and Vixey took off after him.

We caught up to him looking depressed again. He was on a beach looking out at the sunset. "Hey Ash!" I called.

"Don't just run off like that! Do you want to get separated from us?" asked Vixey.

"Sorry, just got caught up in the moment," he said before sighing. "I know that by now I should have caught 20 or 30 Pokémon. You must be disappointed with me."

I smiled. "I'm not Ash. You know how powerful I am. So how many Pokémon do you think I've caught?"

"I dunno. 80? 90?" he asked.

"Try 9."

"What?"

"Yep. All the Pokémon I've caught are with me now. I believe in the saying 'Quality over Quantity'." I turned to look at Vixey and Chrono. "These two aren't even caught, though they have an energy displacer chip that's been surgically implanted in them to prevent them from ever being caught as long as that chip is inside them."

"Yeah, and the skin where you implanted mine still itches to this day," complained Chrono as he scratched a spot with his hind leg.

"You agreed to it," I countered. "All my Pokémon have one just in case someone creates a technology that can capture caught Pokémon."

"What do you mean?" asked Ash.

"Ok. When you catch a Pokémon, they are branded with a unique energy signature. This prevents other trainers from catching your caught Pokémon by accident or for more sinister ideas. If someone created a tech that can override that unique signature then they could capture your Pokémon regardless of the fact that you caught them first. So the chips inside are designed to send out a special frequency in the event that someone tries to catch my Pokémon with a different Pokeball."

"I see," said Ash before he spotted something to the right of us. It was a Krabby.

(Cue Chocobo by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy: Unlimited OST)

"Wait a minute!" called out Ash before looking the Pokémon up.

_"Krabby. Lives near the shore. Its average height is about 16 inches."_

"A Pokémon's a Pokémon. But this one sure is shrimpy," said Ash.

The Krabby stopped moving and looked at Ash. _"Who you calling shrimpy twit!"_ it said after translation, courtesy of Chrono.

"Oh, I didn't mean to insult you Krabby," said Ash immediately after hearing its response. "You're a cute little..." he began to say while poking at one of its pincers. This wasn't the brightest thing he'd done as the Krabby was still pissed at the 'shrimpy' remark. So it clamped onto his poking finger.

_"And don't call me cute either!"_ Krabby replied.

"OwowowowowowowowowOOOWWWWWW!"

I just walked up to the Krabby and hit it lightly but firmly on the spot between its eyes. "Off," I said simply and Krabby let go of Ash's finger. The Krabby then jumped back and eyed us warily. I quickly got out of the way as Ash picked out a Pokeball and wound up his pitch. His throw was straight and true and he caught the Krabby quickly.

"Yay!" yelled out Ash as he picked up the still Pokeball. "Good try Krabby but not good enough." However he looked in confusion when the Pokeball crackled with electricity and pulsed with light before disappearing from his hand.

"What happened? Where did my new Krabby go?" He looked around for some sign of his new catch. "I don't see it anywhere!"

(Cue song INTELLIGENT BOYS by Toru Hasebe from Dynasty Warriors 5 OST)

"That's because normal trainers are only allowed to carry up to 6 Pokémon. Any more you catch will go straight to wherever you got your PokeDEX; in your case Sam has it," I explained.

"Oh, ok," said Ash before he looked confused again. "But then how come you and Damion had more than six?" he asked.

Vixey chose to answer this. "That's because they can ask the professor to send more Pokeballs in case they need to adapt their prepared strategy on the fly in the middle of a battle, rather than wait until they're at either a Pokémon centre or someplace that has a Pokémon exchange unit. Some people go with this approach but most others prefer to just keep the 6 Pokémon because it's less hassle. But even if you have more than 6 Pokémon in your arsenal you're only allowed to use up to 6 Pokémon in a full on battle."

"I see."

"And the fact that I only have 11 Pokémon helps me have the whole family with me at all times," I added in.

"Hey!" someone called and we turned to see Brock, Misty and Pikachu running toward us. "Ash! Don't run off by yourself. Do you want to get separated?" asked Misty, peeved off.

"Sorry bout that," said Ash sheepishly. He then got thoughtful. "So he's with Professor Oak huh?" he asked, seemingly his mind was on something. He then sunk down. "Now I'm even more worried."

"You have one wacky imagination if you're thinking what I think your thinking," I said with one of my eyebrows raised. A bright light then caught my eye and I looked to see a lighthouse.

"A lighthouse huh?" I said to myself as my friends looked at it in relief. I took out my phone and checked our location. Seeing the lighthouse on the map and how far away Vermilion City was, I looked at my friends.

"Hey guys, I just checked the digital map on my phone and found out that Vermilion is only a few hours walk away from this lighthouse. Plus, I think I've been here before."

"Really?" asked Ash.

"Yeah. That's the Vermillion Lighthouse and a Pokémon researcher lives there. Goes by the name of Bill," I explained.

"Well then, let's go! I'm sure that he would have a phone so I can call Professor Oak," said Ash.

"And maybe we can stay the night there," said Misty in a relieved voice. "No sleeping on the ground tonight!"

"And I'll be able to cook up something proper for dinner," said Brock, which all our stomachs replied.

* * *

(Cue song "Find Your Way - Arrange" from Final Fantasy VIII by Nobuo Uematsu from DISSIDIA 012 [duodecim] FINAL FANTASY Original Soundtrack)

After about half an hour of trudging up the path to Bill's Lighthouse, the three trainers were almost wiped out. By now the sun had set and was now well into evening.

"Man, that was further than it looked!" said Ash as we came up on the final stretch, so to speak.

"You guys are outta shape," I said as we reached the doors in front. We looked up at them to see murals depicting Pokémon covering the large double doors.

We stood there for a few seconds, admiring the artwork before Misty spoke up. "Well, guess we'd better ring the bell."

"I got it," said Ash as he pressed a doorbell situated to the side of the doors. There was a loud bell chime that seemed to reverberate around the area. There was a movement behind me and I turned to see Ash, Brock and Misty very spooked out. "Calm down guys," I said.

_"Who's there?"_ came a voice, distorted slightly as if speaking through a telephone. I realised that it was Bill speaking through the intercom.

"Hey Bill! It's me, Josh! Remember me?" I spoke to the box.

_"Oh hello Josh. It's been quite awhile since we've spoken last."_

"Yeah, I've been travelling with a couple of kids and we were wondering if we could bunk with you for the night before moving on to Vermilion City?"

_"Sure! Can one of you cook something without using tofu?"_

I looked at Brock and he nodded. "That's a yes Bill!"

_"Great! Come on in!"_ As soon as those words were said the two doors slowly opened, showing the grand looking entrance hall inside. It looked like something out of a church without the stained windows.

"Can we borrow your phone?" Ash called as we entered.

_"There's a phone right there,"_ said Bill, still speaking through the telecom system. Ash looked around before spotting a Bellsprout-like handset and a monitor next to it.

"Nice! It's a video phone," commented Misty.

"I'll call Professor Oak to see how my Krabby's doing," said Ash as he made for the phone.

"I'm sure Krabby's in great shape," said Brock.

"He's just worried about his new Pokémon Brock. I'm sure you were once like that too," said Vixey.

"True," he agreed and left it at that. I walked over to Ash as he dialled Sam's phone number. The call connected and the first thing we saw was the Professor poking at something in a pot, obviously cooking. Ash immediately got worried.

(Cue song Constructor's Blues by Mitsutoshi Sato from Gran Turismo 5 Prologue OST)

"Well hi you two! You caught me cooking diner. My cook's on vacation and I've got to fend for myself until she returns," he said when he spotted us.

"Don't talk as if you're living in the wild Sam," I chuckled before Ash barged in. "Wait a minute Professor! You're not eating my Krabby are you?"

"Don't worry," said Sam, looking a little weirded out at the fact that Ash had thought of such a thing. "I'm taking good care of your Krabby. It's right here." He then moved out of the way to show us that Ash's most recently caught Pokémon was safe and sound, if still a little pissed. He was currently inside a fishbowl like object that had a sticker of Ash's face on the side.

"Anyway, that Krabby of yours is too small to make a very hearty meal," continued Sam. "On the other hand the Krabby that Gary caught would make an excellent meal. Much better than Tofu." He then picked out a large cube of Tofu and began to blow on it to cool it down.

"What? So Gary caught one too?" cried out Ash.

"Yeah, it's quite a catch. Take a look for yourself," said Sam with his mouth full. He then turned the camera to the side and showed a very large Krabby. It was a whopping four times the size of Ash's Krabby.

"No fair!" Ash cried out in dispair.

"I want you to know that my grandson Gary has already caught 45 Pokémon," said Sam.

"45!" exclaimed Ash before he hung his head in defeat.

"Don't feel bad Ash. I mean look at Josh. He only has 11 Pokémon and he's a Pokémon Master of the highest order," said Sam, obviously trying to console him, but unaware that he had made a serious error.

"WHAT!" screamed Ash, Brock and Misty, however it was Ash who stood stock still before he crashed to the floor, completely out.

I sighed heavily before I glared at the offender. "Nice going jackass," I growled in a part angry part heavily sarcastic tone as I took a page from Chrono's book. "You know my status as an S-class Master is supposed to be secret!"

The Professor's eyes widened and he slapped his hands onto his mouth, fat lot of good that did. The damage was done. "I'm sorry! I-I didn't know! I thought you already told him," he stuttered.

"I was going to but it wasn't the right time." I took a deep breath before speaking again. "Never mind, don't worry about it. What's done is done."

"By the way Josh, where are you calling me from anyway?"

"We're at Vermillion Lighthouse with Bill. We're staying for the night before setting out for Vermilion City tomorrow," I explained.

"Oh! I see," nodded Sam.

"This is Bill, Professor! Good to hear from you," said Bill, still speaking through the intercom.

"Hello Bill! Can you give my friends a crash course on Pokémon?" asked Sam. He then squinted at the food. "O-oh, Tofu's done!" He then began to blow on it.

"Why don't you just order a pizza? Or get some takeout. It's not as if you're as poor as a bum on the side of the street," I asked.

Sam looked up, blinked and then started slamming his head on the bench chanting, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" before the video feed was cut.

I shook my head as I turned off my end before looking at Ash, who was still completely out. "Hey Ash, wake up!" I said as I shook him. He opened his eyes and looked at me in an awed way. "So all this time... all this time you were a... a..."

"Yeah, a Pokémon Master," I confirmed. "I was going to tell you, but much later. However now that you know, can you please not worship me and whatnot? I get enough of that from my fan-club already."

The trio looked at each other before they all smiled at me. "Sure thing," said Brock.

"Yeah. We'll treat you normally," added Misty.

"Even though it'll be kinda hard, knowing who you are and all," replied Ash.

"Just remember how you used to be around me before 5 minutes ago and go from there," I suggested. I then turned around to survey the hall again. "Hey Bill! Where are you anyway?" I called out.

"I'm over here!" called a voice to our left. The lights turned on and there, at the end of the room on a raised platform, was a large Kabuto Pokémon. "I am Bill of the Lighthouse," it said. Everyone gasped, but I just shook my head.

(Cue music silence)

"Man! Talk about your déjà vu," Chrono said.

"Huh? What are you saying?" asked Brock. The fox Pokémon didn't reply to him. Instead I spoke to the so-called Kabuto.

"Professor, did you get stuck in that thing again?"

The Kabuto sighed. "Yes, can you get me out again?" I groaned very loudly before I walked up to the 'Pokémon' and pressed a button that was just above the right leg. Instantly the arms detached from the body, and the face area fell away, also detaching the back. What was revealed was a green haired young man of maybe 30. He wore expensive looking formal maroon clothing.

(Cue song Cygnus Rift by Rom Di Prisco from Need for Speed: High Stakes OST)

"Thanks for that Josh. I've been stuck in that costume for hours," thanked Bill.

"This is why you need an assistant Bill," I replied as my friends walked over.

"You got to be more careful Professor. I believe I told you that before," Vixey softly scolded. Bill had the decency to look sheepish.

"So did you just come from a costume party?" asked Misty. The Professor shook his head.

"No, it's not for a party. This is a special costume that I use in my research. Getting inside its skin helps me get inside its head," explained Bill.

"What do you mean?" asked Ash.

Bill turned to the several murals on the wall as he answered. "There are all kinds of extinct Pokémon. And I want to understand how they lived. Putting on the costume is one way of trying to see what they were like."

"You mean you can understand what they're like just by putting on a costume?" asked Ash.

"Yes indeed. Or I'm beginning to." Bill then walked over to the edge of the platform and sat on the stairs. "This planet was created 4.6 billion years ago. During that time, all kinds of Pokémon existed. They had many ways of living."

"All kinds of Pokémon? How many?" asked Ash.

"On this planet there are more than 649 known species of Pokémon," revealed the green haired young man. At that point, the lights dimmed out and a large projection of all the portrait pictures of all 649 Pokémon flashed onto all four walls of the hall.

"Over 649?" gasped Ash.

"You're lucky to be Pokémon trainers," said Bill wistfully. "Your goal is to capture all these kinds of Pokémon. That's a great task." Here Ash got depressed again. "Yeah, but so far I only got 7," he sighed. He then looked up to see all the pictures. "There are so many..." he would have said more but the Professor continued his speech, cutting off Ash. He did that a lot.

"Of course this is only the ones we know about. There are many Pokémon that have never been discovered, so we need to keep searching. "

"How many could there be...?" wondered Ash out loud.

"No one knows exactly. The search goes on. There's always something new to look for in our lives, and in ourselves." I stifled a yawn as he continued on. I got sleepy at this point last time too.

"Something to look for?" asked Ash, entranced by Bill.

"Yes, there is a lot for us to look for. Inside and outside ourselves. There's meaning for every creature." Here Bill stood up and skipped down the stairs and through the hall. "A meaning for all the Pokémon and a meaning for all us humans too."

"Neeerrrrrrrrd," mumbled Chrono. Vixey and I grinned widely, but we didn't laugh.

"A meaning for all..." mumbled Ash as he took in all the knowledge.

The lights then turned back on and we walked down the stairs to stand behind Bill. "Keep looking for new Pokémon to catch. It's something very important for Pokémon research. It's as vital to me as it is to you. Right now though there's only one Pokémon I'm searching for."

"That so?" I asked, curious to this. This was news to me. "What do you know about it?"

Bill didn't reply straight away. Instead he beckoned us to the top of his lighthouse. As we looked out, we saw the beams of light piercing through the sea fog that had settled in.

(Cue song Dive into the Heart -Destati- by Yoko Shimomura from Kingdom Hearts II OST)

"It's probably the biggest Pokémon ever," Bill finally said. "Bigger than all the rest, and nobody's seen it before. It's been wondering the world for years and years, looking for friends."

"But doesn't that Pokémon have any friends or family?" asked Misty.

"The Pokémon wanders because it's alone. It's the only Pokémon of its species. One of a kind," Bill explained.

"Sounds like one of the Sacred Pantheon to me," said Vixey. This created confused and curious looks from Brock, Misty and Ash but I shook my head at them, indicating that I would answer at a later time.

"True, but this doesn't sound like one of them," I answered Vixey's thoughts.

"That's right. I also believe that it's not one of the Sacred Pantheon," replied Bill. "One night, I heard this very strange sound coming across the ocean." Here the Professor took out a remote and pressed a button. Instantly a haunting sound flowed out of the lighthouse. It seemed very familiar to me.

"Sounds like Sora's dad, ya know?" said Chrono.

"Sure does," I agreed. But Bill shook his head. "No, it wasn't a Lugia, though it sounded very similar. It said... I want to meet you."

"Actually he's complaining that the water's quite cold compared to back at his territory," said Vixey. Chrono and Pikachu nodded.

"...oh... I see," said Bill, once again looking sheepish. "But not too long after that, I synthesized a similar sound." He pressed a different button and the same haunting sound blasted out, though this time it was a different melody. "Let's be friends. I want to meet you."

"Well?" I asked Vixey. She nodded. "That's what the recording says."

"Impressive. You got it spot on instead of garbled gibberish," I nodded.

"One day, I heard the same voice calling back to me from over the ocean." The second recording from the mystery Pokémon sounded and Vixey translated.

"Sorry, but I'm a little busy. I'll try and call back later as I'm interested in how you're talking back." We all sweatdropped at this.

"Someday, that Pokémon might just come back to meet me. I would be so happy to meet that Pokémon."

"You gonna try to catch it?" asked Ash.

"Why would I need to capture it? Meeting it would be enough for me. Just to study it would make my wait worthwhile," replied Bill before we all got a huge shock in the form of an unrecorded voice wafting over the sea.

(Cue song Echoes by Yuki Kajiura from .hack/SIGN Original Soundtrack 2)

"I think he heard you," said Chrono as he jumped up and placed his front paws on the railing for a better look. Vixey did the same. They weren't the only ones to do so. Everyone leaned up against the rail for a better look.

Through the mist a giant shape began to emerge from the waters. At first glimpse I thought it was an enormous Dragonite, but as the Pokémon moved closer and more out of the mist, it quickly became clear that it was not. I couldn't see any details aside from its shape and size but I didn't need to. The shape was completely different only roughly in the same shape as a Dragonite. The body was more angular and slimmer, looking more like a cross over from a human, with human-like arms and chest. Attached to the arms were long and curved claws. There were no wings to see, but there were several sword-like protrusions attached to the shoulders, splayed out like wings. The head was also different, more draconian than a Dragonite's, like a dagger. The soft looking antenna were missing, and in their place were long curved horns. And the eyes glowed golden through sharp slits. But despite its very dangerous and intimidating appearance, there was a feeling of gentleness that exuded from the giant Pokémon.

"That is something I have never seen before. There's no Pokémon that comes close to the shape of that one. I thought it was a Dragonite at first but the shape... it's radically different," I whispered in an awed voice. "Man would Lance kill for a chance to see this! A completely new dragon type Pokémon!"

"The signal!" said Bill and quickly turned on the system. Soon the sound echoed out of Bill's Lighthouse and the light of the beams themselves changed colours, acting more like a super large disco equipment piece then a Lighthouse. Soon the Pokémon and the Lighthouse were communicating back and forth.

"It sounds like its singing!" sighed Misty. And she was right. The sounds were quite haunting but peaceful and calming, almost like a lullaby.

"Would you care to dance?" asked Brock.

"Oh, thank you!" she replied and they took each other's hands and began to dance simply with each other.

"I won't mention to them that he," Chrono jerked the tip of one of his tails in the direction of the giant Pokémon. "is just commenting on how close a cruise liner came to clipping him on the head the other day." I snorted quietly with laughter and Vixey had a large grin on her face.

"Where do you come from?" I called up to the Pokémon as it neared the Lighthouse.

After several moments of moaning in fluctuating pitches, Vixey replied, "I believe he hails from the Sevii Islands."

"The Sevii Isles huh," I replied, thoughtful. The Sevii Archipelago was in roughly the same area as New Island, which is where my most recent mission took me to. The area was accessible through a fleet of ferries known as the Seagallop Ferries that departed every day from Vermillion City.

"Where are these Sevii Islands?" asked Ash.

"They are located far south from here and are home to several powerful legendary Pokémon. It doesn't surprise me that our new friend came from this place," I replied.

(Cue song Sail Against the Wind from Star Ocean: Till the End of Time OST)

All of a sudden an explosion came from the giant Pokémon. "The hell's going on?" I yelled in confusion. In retaliation the Pokémon charged up a bright ball of crackling blue energy from its open mouth, similar to a Hyper Beam but several times more powerful and fired the ball directly at the top of the Lighthouse, blasting it away. We were mere meters away from the blast and I pushed Bill inside and down the steps with the place crumbling apart around us. It was a close call as we rushed out of a back door at the bottom and ran to the edge of the cliff.

There were two more blasts on the creature's front and the Pokémon screeched in pain. I quickly threw a Pokeball into the air and from it came Sora. "Use Sky Attack on whoever is attacking that Pokémon!" I ordered, my tone filled with a cold anger. Sora nodded and swooped down the side of the cliff. She had apparently found who it was and began to glow with silvery energy. After a few seconds a large barrage of silver energy shot out of Sora's whole being and made contact with whoever was halfway down the cliff side. I instantly knew who it was as the ensuing explosion sent the wrongdoers flying off into the distance with a call of, "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

"Damn Team Rocket! They went too far this time!" I roared as Sora flew over to where we were standing.

"Pokémon! Don't go!" called Bill. "Please stay with us! I've waited so long for a chance to see you here!" However the Pokémon wasn't going to do so as it shook its head before turning around and leaving. Soon it was out of sight, either through the mist or under the water we didn't know. But it was gone.

* * *

(Cue song Dawn by Kajiura Yuki from Tsubasa Chronicle Original Soundtrack)

In the morning we all stood outside on the cliff face once again. We were about to head out.

"What kind of Pokémon was that anyway?" asked Ash.

"I have no idea Ash," was all I said.

"Why didn't you try to catch it?" he asked.

I paused before chuckling softly. "I guess it must have slipped my mind. I didn't even think of catching it. But anyway, it's not my style." I turned to Ash. "I don't battle then catch Pokémon. Everyone on my team choose to come with me. It was their choice to travel with me and battle for me."

"That's cool," replied the young trainer. He then sighed and squinted up at the ruined top of the Lighthouse before looking at Bill. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I'll continue to stand watch for the giant Pokémon to appear at my lighthouse again," he replied.

"Well once you get stuck on something, you'll never think of anything else until you've unlocked every single secret on the subject," said Chrono with a long sigh.

"Well he wouldn't be a good Pokémon Professor if he didn't," I replied. I then turned to Bill. "Thanks for putting us up for the night. It was certainly an enlightening experience for all of us... in more ways than one."

"You're very welcome, and good luck on your journey too," he replied.

"It was nice meeting you," Ash replied before we moved off toward Vermilion City.


	11. Chapter 11: The Yellow Flash is Born

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'  
**Kaze - **Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'  
**Sora - **Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'  
**Shiva - **Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'  
**Hikari - **Hayden Panettiere  
**Baihu - **Paul Mercierwho voiced Bear from '.hack/SIGN'  
**Fenrir - **Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'  
**Bahamut - **Jamie Foxx  
**Ifrit - **Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from 'DragonBall Z', Kuromaru from 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles', and Roronoa Zoro from 'One Piece'  
**Eywa - **Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'

(AN: Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across one. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future.)

(Chapter AN: In this chapter, I know that Pikachu's Shield Overdrive is ripped from Minato's Hiraishin. I did it on purpose. It's a cool move and name. Call me lazy and whatnot, I don't care. It's staying and that's that.)

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Yellow Flash is Born**

(Cue song Morning, Morning by Takanami Keitaro from Chobits OST 1)

We had been on the road from Bill's Lighthouse for about an hour and we could already see Vermilion City from where we were. Spirits were high, but none were higher than Ash's, his mind completely on his third badge.

"Hold on a minute!" I said and everyone stopped. "Ash, it's high time we do some training."

"Whoo hoo!" whooped Ash as he jumped into the air in excitement. Misty, on the other hand, slumped to the ground. "Why?! When Vermilion City is just over that low hill over there?" she moaned depressively, pointing to the very small hill with a shaking finger.

"It's ok. You two can go into the city, but Ash and I are staying here for training." I then took out Kaze's Pokeball and tossed it into the air. Kaze streaked out and swooped down to land easily next to me.

"Kaze, you're on lunch patrol. Go with Brock into the city and bring back any food he buys for Ash and myself. Can you do that for me?" I asked.

"Sure thing Josh," the bird replied. I then recalled him and gave the ball to Brock. "Just send us a nice picnic basket with plenty of meat and Poke food," I told him while placing some of my money in his hand. He nodded. "You've got it Josh." Then he and Misty made their way towards the city. I then summoned out all my friends and watched them settle down on the grass next to me.

(Cue song Vana'diel March by Naoshi Mizuta from Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack)

"Ok Ash. Today we will be focusing on Pikachu," I announced as Pikachu looked up at me inquiringly. I bent down and scratched him behind the ears, eliciting a pleasing sound from him. "Pokémon have up to two stat specialities. Sometimes they only have one."

"You mean like grass, flying, fire and those sorts?" asked Ash.

"No. They're type elementals. What I'm talking about is different." I then released all of my team and waited for them to settle into a line. "Eywa here is good at Defence while her Overdrives are Support moves only." Here Eywa smiled nodded serenely.

"Baihu here is all about power and his Sword Overdrive shows it. His fire attacks are between 2 - 3x more powerful than normal." Baihu grinned at this.

"Fenrir prefers not to fight much and so he's an Endurance type. He takes the attacks and stays strong from it all." Fenrir nodded.

"Now Shiva here, is good at two things. She's very powerful in her attacks and while in the air has a high Agility stat. She can dodge most projectile attacks in the air and then deliver a strong counterattack of her own." Shiva puffed out her chest proudly at this.

"You understand all this?" I asked Ash, who nodded before pointing at Chrono. "What does Chrono specialise in?" Chrono decided to answer that himself.

"I specialise in Speed and Agility. I'm incredibly fast and can dodge anything!" he boasted.

"Well we've yet to find a move that he can't dodge," I added before mock glaring at Chrono. "But that's no reason to drop your guard."

"So... what's Pikachu then?" Ash asked.

"Well judging from your Pikachu's Overdrive moves, I'd say he's Power and Agility, which is an excellent combination. We'll work on the Agility stat today. Ready?" Ash nodded.

"Ok. Ifrit? You're up!" In response Ifrit jumped up high into the air, did several somersaults and landed perfectly in front of me, ready for battle. I shook my head in amusement at Ifrit trying to look cool and retrieved my special data storage box, punched in a few numbers and pressed the red button in the middle. An energy like curtain extended from the box and swiped across the grass once before turning off. There, on the ground, were several small collars and a datapad roughly the size of a small tray. (AN: It's an iPad 3) I picked up one of the collars and indicated to Ash that he fix one to Pikachu. While he was busy with that, I attached one to Ifrit. As soon as I did there was a pulse of green energy which flowed over Ifrit's body and then disappeared. Judging from Ash's gasp, the same thing had happened to Pikachu.

"These collars are personal shields. They repel any and all attacks. Trust me, I've made sure. The shields have another purpose as well. Every time someone hits the shield, a point will be displayed on this datapad. Your job, is to use agility only to gain hits on Ifrit's shields. You can hit as hard as you want, it will not affect him as long as he wears the shield," I explained. (AN: Think of the Ancient personal shield devices that Rodney used in Episode 4, Season 1 of Stargate Atlantis.)

"Ready?" I asked. Ash nodded. "Ifrit will start off holding back so we can get a clear image of where Pikachu is with his agility. Remember to use moves like Quick Attack ok?" Ash nodded a second time.

"Then let's do it! Ifrit! Use Trickster stance at half power," I ordered. Ifrit nodded before he rocketed toward Pikachu.

After five minutes I called a halt to the first round and looked at the datapad. Ifrit - 127, Pikachu - 51.

"Not bad, but we still need to develop the agility of Pikachu more," I said to Vixey and Chrono after showing them the data. "Chrono. You take Pikachu and work with him on agility since you're my fastest Pokémon." Chrono nodded and bounded over to the yellow Pokémon. "Ash! I've got some training for you too!"

Ash looked surprised. "Why do I need training?" he asked as he walked over while Chrono and Pikachu ran off to another part of the field we were working on.

"Because the trainer needs just as much training as the Pokémon he trains. We'll go over the strategy you'll be using against the Gym Leader here," I explained.

"Yes sir!" Ash saluted before we seated ourselves on the soft grass overlooking Vermilion City.

(Cue song Tea Country by Toshiro Masuda from Naruto Original Soundtrack III)

"Ok. How much do you know about Pikachu's moves?" I asked.

"Not much," admitted Ash.

"Ok. Do you know that the Pikachu stage focuses on speedy moves and that the Raichu stage is more about power?"

"No."

"Well it is. And people who are able to evolve their Pokémon manually and do so too soon, will miss out on developing the stat that strengthens the more the Pokémon remains in that evolutionary stage. You understand?"

"I think so," Ash replied dubiously.

"Ok. For example. Pikachu's agility stat will increase the more it stays in that stage. But if you evolve it too soon, then it will never get the chance to train that stat. So an early evolved Raichu is...?"

"Slow but powerful!" Ash exclaimed.

"Spot on! Now your Pikachu is unique as his power is already well developed, but we'll work on that later. For today and this Gym battle you'll use your agility to confuse your opponent and disable him before landing a decisive strike. You can also use agility as a way of discovering what your opponent can do without getting hurt. Now," I said as I stood up, Ash as well. "We're going to do some physical training. Get you fit and in shape. A good trainer will always train just as hard as their Pokémon. So you're going to run for 10 minutes around the field with me and some of my Pokémon."

Ash and I then proceeded to run around for ten minutes with Ifrit, Fenrir, Hikari and Vixey. After that, while Ash caught his breath, I had a sparring session with Ifrit. Ash looked on in awe as Ifrit and I traded devastating close combat blows for another ten minutes. Then Ash and I went through a set of push-ups and sit-ups. I did 500 of each while Ash was only able to do 20 of each. Just as we were finishing up the sit-ups, Kaze swooped down and placed a picnic basket for us. I called for Chrono and Pikachu to join us for lunch. They came over with Pikachu looking just as pooped out as Ash looked.

The next hour was spent eating and talking casually. I sat leaning up against Baihu while he munched on his own lunch. Ash sat up against Shiva. He also had released his Pokémon and they had split off from us to explore and play. Ash's Pidgeotto and Kaze seemed to get along great as they flew together in the sky. Ash naturally had questions about me being a Pokémon Master.

(Cue song Sit Beside Me by Yuki Kajiura from .hack/SIGN Original Soundtrack 1)

"So when did you start your journey?" Ash asked as he bit into a chicken and mayo sub.

"Let's see. I'm thinking it's been 15 years or so," I replied as I chomped down on a burger.

"Wow! You really are experienced!"

"Of course I am! How else do you think I was able to attain Master rank?"

Ash hesitated. "Well, I thought... umm..."

"You thought I was lucky?" I asked. Ash nodded softly. "It's ok Ash. You don't have to be scared of asking those questions. Luck does play a part in battles but it's mostly skill. There is no shortcut to becoming a master. I became one ten years ago and only recently have I reached the top tier for masters; the S rank. Compared to attaining that rank, becoming a Master is easy."

"So where do you live?"

"A small town called Celestic in the Sinnoh region; north of Kanto. It's quite an historic town. Also one of the oldest," I explained. I then slipped into nostalgia as I remembered a certain long blonde haired girl who wore black.

"Thinking about Cynthia again?" Vixey asked.

"Yeah. I'm really looking forward to seeing her again. It's been quite a while since I last saw her," I replied with a reminiscent smile.

"Five years. I reckon she's even more 'Bow Chicka Bow Wow' than before, right?" Chrono asked with a big grin on his face. Until Vixey swatted at his head with her tails.

"Who's Cynthia?" Ask asked.

"My childhood friend from Celestic. I found out a while ago that she was tracking me down. But I reckon our little safari while getting here has probably thrown her off my trail," I sighed. Ash had the decency to look sheepish at that point.

"Do you think I might go there someday? The Sinnoh region I mean," asked Ash.

"Quite probably," I smiled. "You don't intend to stick around the Kanto area forever, do you?" Ash shook his head. "So how did you become a Master?"

I hesitated. "Sorry Ash, but I can't tell you right this moment. Wait until you've competed in the Kanto Tournament. Then I'll tell you." I saw his face drop. "I'm not trying to be mysterious with you. There are just some things you can't know until you've grown up a bit more. Do you understand?"Ash nodded and we spent the rest of lunch silent.

After Ash and Pikachu rested, Ifrit and Pikachu were tested again. This time the score was 124 - 76. Pikachu was improving at a rate that took me by surprise. We then did exactly the same sort of stuff we did before lunch, which raised Pikachu's score to 95. By this time it was beginning to get dark. So we packed up our stuff and walked into Vermilion City.

(Cue song Pint-sized Alchemist by Michiru Oshima from Full Metal Alchemist Original Soundtrack 1)

Kaze told us that Brock and Misty would be waiting for us at the Pokémon Centre. So we made our way through the slowly transitioning city as street lights turned on and bars and restaurants opened up for the night. The Vermilion City Pokémon Centre was the usual high tech building of red and gold, looking like a giant, upturned mixing bowl with two large Pokeballs for ears. Lush plants and green grass surrounded the complex.

Inside we quickly met up with Brock and Misty, who looked well fed indeed, and much cleaner. Ash wasted no time by putting his Pokémon up for a healing session. Pikachu, especially, looked in need for a rest. The heavy training that Chrono made him do tired the electric Pokémon out.

"Can you heal up my Pokémon?" asked Ash.

"We'll fix them right up," said Joy, however Ash looked a little confused. Joy seemed to notice and smiled. "I know why you're surprised. I look like all the other Nurse Joys don't I? My first cousin works in Pewter City, and my second cousin works in Viridian City. I think I'm the prettiest one, don't you?" Here she giggled softly.

"Yeah," agreed Brock.

"Yeah, you would Casanova," mumbled Chrono to which Vixey and I grinned. The moment was ruined by a loud and worried call behind us.

(Cue song The Wall by Ramin Djawadi from Game of Thrones Soundtrack)

A kid no older than Ash's age was rushing in a Rattata, which looked like it had been through the grinder. The two rushed past and into the intensive care unit.

"That Rattata's in rough shape," commented Brock. "I wondered what happened?"

"Ohh! It's the 15th one brought in this month!" said Joy in an annoyed tone.

"What the?" exclaimed Ash. We then rushed to the hallway adjacent the IC unit and saw several Pokémon damaged quite severely. "This is terrible," said Brock as soon as he saw the scope of the injured.

"They all lost to Lt. Surge, the Vermilion Gym Leader," explained Joy.

"That crackpot's still the Gym Leader?" I exclaimed.

"You know him?" asked Ash.

"Yeah. Ten years ago I fought against him, and steamrolled over him at the time. Just before I left, he looked ready to quit the Gym business. I guess he stuck around after all," I explained.

"Well, do you know what he's like?" asked Ash.

"Oh yes. Idiot believes in nothing but power when it comes to Pokémon. He kinda pissed me off the last time I was here. I overwhelmed him with my own power at the time. If I wasn't so ticked off I would of played more strategically to show him that it's not just about power. There are all sorts of things to factor in when battling. I may have won easily but Surge is not someone a rookie trainer should overestimate. Most of these trainers look like they just started out. Of course Surge would stomp all over them," I replied.

"So he's really tough?" asked Ash.

"He is, if you don't know his big ass weakness," I grinned.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll just say that today's lesson will be essential to wining the Gym Battle," I said.

Ash was silent for a moment before his eyes widened and he turned to me. "You mean...!"

"That's right," I nodded.

There was a soft chime sound over the centre's intercom. "Time to go check out Pikachu and the others," I said and we made our way over to the entrance hall.

We spotted Pikachu munching away happily at an apple as he sat on a tray with Ash's other Pokémon.

"Hey Pikachu!" called Ash. Pikachu looked up to see us walked over to him. _"Hey guys!"_ he replied courtesy of Vixey translating.

"We'll take on Lt. Surge tomorrow after we get some rest tonight. We're going to win that badge!" said Ash passionately. _"Hell yeah!"_ replied Pikachu, just as pumped as Ash was. And at that precise moment someone rushed past with a very injured Pidgey.

"I guess that came form that Lt. Surge's gym," said Misty offhandedly.

_"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-HAT! I changed my mind! I don't want to get creamed!"_ wailed Pikachu, looking totally freaked out.

"Nice going Misty," Chrono growled.

"Don't worry. We've been training hard today. No way will we lose!" replied Ash. This seemed to calm down Pikachu. _"Really?"_ he asked. Ash nodded. "I know his weakness!" he whispered conspiracy like to his partner.

_"Well then, ok! I'm with you! He'll be the one who get's creamed!"_ replied Pikachu, back to normal.

"Yeah!" said Ash.

"Ok, that's enough you two, or you'll never get to sleep. Let's go get some dinner and then some rest," I suggested, to which everyone agreed to.

* * *

(Cue music silence)

The Gym looked exactly like it did 10 years ago. Giant lightning bolts decorated the large building. There wasn't much imagination in the setup.

"I guess Lt. Surge specialises in Lightning Pokémon," observed Brock.

"What was your first guess? His name or his gym layout?" asked Chrono sarcastically.

"So this is the Vermilion City Gym," said Ash as he took it all in.

"It's not too late to back out," smirked Misty.

"Why should I back out?" asked Ash. "I've got the perfect plan to beat him!"

"I'll stick around to see your face when you get creamed," replied Misty with that same smirk on her face.

"Misty, why do you think Ash will get beat?" asked Vixey.

"Because this is his first _real_ Gym battle and he isn't ready," she replied.

"Well we'll certainty see, won't we?" I said with a mysterious smile plastered all over my face.

"Are we ever going to go inside?" asked Brock.

(Cue song BEFORE THE STORM from Dynasty Warriors 6 OST)

Ash walked forward and the gym doors swung open. It was dark inside but there were two people inside. One was an almost bald guy with a leather jacket with metal studs on the shoulders over his bare chest and tight, fingerless gloves. The other was a woman with red hair, a tight red singlet shirt, a headband and a dog tag around her neck.

"Hello. I'm here to earn my Thunder Badge!" said Ash with conviction.

The bald one looked over his shoulder to the darkness behind him. "Hey Boss! Another one for the emergency room!"

A large shape in the blackness rose up and walked over to us. "Which one?" asked a familiar tone. As he walked into the light, his features became visible. He wore dark green pants and jacket with no shirt underneath, showing off his well developed six-pack. His muscles were large and powerful. His hands were gloved in heavy material. He had a large chin, short, spiky, dirty blond hair and a dog-tag around his neck. Oh, and he was seven foot tall.

"Woah!" exclaimed Brock. "He's huge!"

"Is he the Gym leader you have to beat?" asked Misty.

"Welcome to Vermilion Gym!" said Surge as he bent down and hugged Misty. "Oh! My next challenge is a cute one! Don't think I'll go easy on ya."

"Umm, excuse me, but I'm not the challenger," replied Misty.

"Then who?" he asked.

"Me! That's who!" said Ash.

Surge turned and looked at Ash before laughing. "Oh! Ok baby!" he said while ruffling Ash's cap on his head. Ash pushed the giant hand away. "I'm no baby! My name is Ash Kechum!"

"Heh! I call everyone who loses to me baby!" he replied arrogantly.

"But you called me that and yet I owned you completely," I said as I stepped into the light. He took one look t me and pointed at me angrily. "You!" he said.

"Yes, me," I replied. "But I'm not battling you today Surge. I've already beaten you. There's no need to prove myself against you a second time."

Surge scowled before taking a deep breath and returning his gaze to Ash. But he then noticed Pikachu, who was half hiding behind Ash's leg. "Huh! A Pikachu!" he then turned to his lackeys. "Hey, look at this! Baby brought along a baby Pokémon!" They all then laughed nastily. I growled before stepping up to him. "Maybe you need a reminder to never underestimate your opponent Surge," I said in an icy tone along with an equal icy glare. Surge stopped laughing at once and glared back. "We'll see what the baby's got," he said before he enlarged his Pokeball and released the Pokémon inside.

After a few seconds, a powerful Raichu stood in front of Pikachu. The size between Pokémon was about the same as between Surge and Ash. Pikachu immediately glared at Raichu, who simply assumed Surge's stance by putting its paws on its hips.

"Ok baby, if you wanna quit, now's your chance!" said Surge.

"There's no way we're going to quit now!" replied Ash.

"Heh! What could a baby like that do?" Surge then kneeled down to Raichu's level and patted him on the head. "If ya's want to become a Pokémon master, you should make your Pokémon evolve as soon as you catch it!"

"There's more to raising a Pokémon then forcing it to evolve! And I like this Pikachu just the way it is!" retorted Ash, placing his own hand on his partner's head.

"Wrong baby!" said Surge as he wagged his finger at Ash. "Electric Pokémon are only useful if they've learned all their different electrical attacks! You keep a puny like that it's only good as a pet!" As he was saying this, Raichu was coping Surges finger wagging. This was pissing Pikachu off and sparks began to fly from his cheeks.

"Can Pikachu beat Raichu?" asked Misty.

"I seriously doubt it. Especially if Raichu knows all the electric attacks," replied Brock.

"Ok baby!" Surge taunted. "Did you just come here to show us your little pet?"

"We came here to battle for a Thunder Badge!" said Ash.

_"Fuck yeah!"_ growled Pikachu, with sparks flying around him.

"Let's show him that we're not weak!" grinned Ash, which was mirrored by Pikachu. It seemed they still remembered the plan.

"Oh well," shrugged Surge. "I guess you'll learn that playing with the big boys can be a shocking experience!"

The lights then turned on and showed the battleground. It was standard issue, compared to Brock's rocky stage and the Cerulean Gym's water field. I dug around my bag and pulled out my special camera, activated it and let it go invisible.

"The Pokémon battle will now begin!" came the announcer's voice. "Only one Pokémon can be used. The Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, has chosen Raichu. The challenger, Ash, has chosen Pikachu. No time limit! Let the battle begin!" There was a loud bell ring to signify the start of the battle.

(Cue song Lightning Speed by Takanashi Yasuharu from NARUTO Shippuuden Original Soundtrack)

"Go Raichu!" called Surge and his Pokémon surged forward.

"Use the strategy we planned Pikachu! You can do it!" ordered Ash and Pikachu simply stayed where he was, watching Raichu's movement.

"Raichu! Show them a thundershock!" ordered Surge and Raichu complied, but the move was obvious and open, allowing plenty of time to jump quickly out of the way.

"What?" asked Surge.

"Do it Pikachu! Use Agility!" ordered Ash and Pikachu quickly began to speed around his opponent. Surge ordered a series of Body Slams but they were even slower than the Thundershock. Pikachu had no problems dodging them swiftly and easily.

"Uh, Raichu?" asked Surge in wonder and confusion.

"Oh, I get it now!" exclaimed Brock.

"Bout time," I said.

"What?" asked Misty.

"Pikachu's more speedy compared to Raichu because Surge didn't bother to learn the advanced agility moves after the electric moves and evolved Raichu before that could happen, therefore stunting Raichu's own agility," explained Brock. "Am I right?" he asked me.

"Yep," I replied. "Yesterday I worked on Pikachu's agility stat and levelled it up seriously. What's the use of power if you can't hit the opponent."

"Go for it Pikachu! Keep on using Agility!" Pikachu complied by running very fast around Raichu. Soon the poor Pokémon was very dizzy from trying to catch up.

"Having trouble keeping up?" asked Ash to Surge.

"That's it! Raichu! Give it a Thunderbolt! Finish it off!" roared Surge and Raichu let off a large electric attack, but not before Ash yelled out his own move.

"Pikachu! Use **Shield Overdrive: Hiraishin**!" At that moment the whole field was covered in electricity. It tore up the ground, it smashed windows, and it kicked up large amounts of dust. However when the dust cleared, Pikachu was still there, clad in a strong yellow halo of energy. Electricity was flowing over his body but always stuck close to Pikachu's skin.

"What?" repeated Surge before ordering another Thunderbolt. But before anything could happen, Ash ordered Pikachu to attack and Pikachu vanished in a flash of yellow light before Raichu was knocked away and out of the battle. Pikachu reappeared and stood there, panting slightly.

(Cue song Victory by Toshiro Masuda from Naruto Original Soundtrack I)

"Unbelievable!" cried out Surge as the announcer called the battle in Ash's favour. Pikachu released the Hiraishin and fell backwards, too tired to do anything but raise his arm into the air and say, _"Yeah... did it!"_ Ash quickly scooped Pikachu up into his arms and smiled down. "Nice one partner!" he congratulated.

"So that was the Hiraishin?" I said as I came to stand beside Ash. "I gotta say, that was impressive. Well done to the both of you. You've earned your first badge for real!" I patted Ash on the back before recalling my camera back to my hand. "I need to study the recordings to see how the Hiraishin works."

* * *

"Congratulations Ash. You're no baby!" said Surge. "As proof of your victory, your Thunder Badge!" Here he handed Ash his third badge, in the shape of a golden eight petal flower with a large ruby in the centre. "You and your Pikachu really fought well together! And that last move! Where Pikachu vanished in a yellow flash and KOed Raichu. That was something!" praised Surge.

"Thanks! Oh yeah!" Ash suddenly posed with his new badge. "I've got a Thunder Badge!"

"Nice job kiddo! You really earned that one!" I said, grinning.

* * *

(Cue song Dragons Gate by Hiroshi Takaki from Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi Soundtrack)

"So where now guys?" asked Ash.

"Well, we could take the ferry to Porta Vista for a well deserved holiday before moving off to Maiden's Peak. I've been invited to play a few love songs for them as their special festival is on the same date as Valentine's Day," I explained.

"Porta Vista!" squealed Misty. "Ohh, I can't wait!"

"It'd be nice to relax and get some well deserved time off as we've been travelling almost nonstop for a month now," said Brock.

"And I'm sure the Pokémon would love a break out of their Pokeballs too," added Ash.

"So we're agreeing on my plan?" I asked to which everyone nodded.

"Ok! Let's see if we can get the next ferry off to Porta Vista!" I grinned before we began to make our way to the port.


	12. Chapter 12: Sea Rumble

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'  
**Kaze - **Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'  
**Sora - **Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'  
**Shiva - **Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'  
**Hikari - **Hayden Panettiere  
**Baihu - **Paul Mercierwho voiced Bear from '.hack/SIGN'  
**Fenrir - **Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'  
**Bahamut - **Jamie Foxx  
**Ifrit - **Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from 'DragonBall Z', Kuromaru from 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles', and Roronoa Zoro from 'One Piece'  
**Eywa - **Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'

(AN: Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across one. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future.)

* * *

**Chapter 12: Sea Rumble**

[Cue song Sunbreeze Shuffle by Naoshi Mizuta from Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack Premium Box (Disc 6 ~ Final Fantasy XI Unreleased Tracks)]

Ash was still grinning and looking at his newest badge as we neared the Vermilion City port. Misty, Brock and I were walking by him. Even Misty was smiling at Ash's victory. Vixey was also smiling but Chrono felt that the novelty had worn off so he was back to his usual self. Pikachu was hanging onto the back of Ash's head, peeking over his cap to see the badge he helped his trainer and friend gain.

"Whoa!" Ash suddenly exclaimed out of the blue. We looked to see what had caught his attention and saw a large cruise ship docked at the end of the pier we were currently on. The ship was something alright. Sort of ship you would expect rich people to use for a casual holiday.

Ash Misty and Brock made several appreciative comments before I realised something.

"Huh," I said, directing their attention to me. "It's the St. Anne. Very nice on the inside. It's well known to sail the world, stopping annually at Vermilion. I've been on this ship several times."

"You have?" asked Misty.

"Yeah, but it wears on you as the passengers consist of mostly rich, snobby people. Gets annoying sometimes so I mostly stay inside my room for the entire trip," I explained.

"But you're rich?" asked Ash.

"Oh yeah! I'm loaded. But doing things like travelling by foot, sleeping under the stars. It keeps things in perspective."

"Oh man!" moaned Ash as he looked again at the ship. "I'd love to cross the sea on a ship like this!"

"Yeah, just think of all the Pokémon we'd be able to see along the way," said Brock.

"Do you mean Pokémon? Or sunbathing beauties on the deck?" asked Chrono slyly.

"Well- I'd-uh... umm..." mumbled Brock with a massive blush.

"Ahh!" exclaimed Misty at the sound of 'sunbathing'. "To sunbath on the ship. Just one long relaxing cruise!"

"We could never afford a trip like that," muttered Brock, crashing Misty's daydream and leaving her looking depressed.

Ash sighed. "Reality can really bum you out..." he said.

"Well you three might not be able to get a ride... but I can," I said, only to have all four faces, Pikachu's included, press against my own all with the puppy eyes expression. "Please?" they all said.

I sweatdropped before grinning. "Sure. If the ship's first stop after here is at Porta Vista. Might've changed though," I said before several party poppers exploded around us with streamers flying over our heads. We all jumped at the suddenness of it all before looking at who just surprised us.

(Cue song Your Friendly Neighborhood Gullwings by Noriko Matsueda & Takahito Eguchi from Final Fantasy X-2 OST - Disc 2)

"You guys are way lucky!" yelled two apparent school girls. One had blue eyes and had orange hair curled over in a large single curl, exactly like Jessie's from Team Rocket. The second had green eyes and her blonde hair was styled in the same way as James's hair.

"You can go on the super deluxe sea cruise!" the two finished up.

"A sea cruise?" we all recited.

"Well it's like, you know, we have these incredible super cool tickets for you!" said the orange haired one said with her friend saying "Coool!" "Cool huh?!" finished the first girl. She then flashed the tickets to us and I saw that the tickets were legit and for the St. Anne. "These tickets are for the biggest party ever on board the St. Anne cruise liner!"

"_The_ famous St. Anne?" asked Ash as he glanced at the ship we were looking at a few moments ago.

"Coool!" said the second one again before the first one spoke. "The coolest ship on the sea! Everyone is going to be there and have, like, the coolest time ever-" "Coool!" "And the party is for Pokémon trainers only!" "Coool!" "Step this way! It'll be a radical party! All of the most radical Pokémon trainers will be there!"

"Do you know anyone who says 'radical' anymore?" Ash muttered to Misty and I.

"Someone who hasn't evolved since the late 80's perhaps," Chrono sniggered softly, causing the rest of us to smile.

"Ok, you dudes! There are your tickets!" continued the first girl.

"We'd love to get on the ship with the Pokémon trainer cruise, but we really don't have the money to pay for it," said Brock.

"Speak for yourself," I muttered.

"Oh! Woaw! Like, you don't understand me!" "Coool!" "They're totally free!"

"What?" I asked, suddenly suspicious. "What's the catch?" I asked.

"Well we have to go out with our boyfriends so we wanted to give our tickets to some cool looking Pokémon fans," "Coool!" "We saw you and thought you looked really cool so just take these and have a really cool time!" she then pressed the tickets into my hands.

"Uhh… thanks," I replied.

"No sweat!"

"Coool!"

"Have a nice day! For sure!"

At that point they bolted. And at that precise moment I just figured out who they were and broke down on the ground, laughing hard.

"What's wrong?" asked Ash.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! They were- ha ha ha ha, Jessie and- BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" was all I could say, kicking and thumping the ground with my hands and feet.

"Jessie and... James?" asked Misty.

"BWA HA HA HA HA! Oh god James! I never thought you would crossdress! HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Vixey and Chrono were now laughing just as hard as me.

"But that means that these tickets are a trap!" replied Brock.

"True..." I said getting back up, red in the face from laughing so hard. "But I think it's safe to say that we're not the only trainers those two have snagged. Other trainers could be in trouble. We know about this plan now so we could go onboard and keep an eye out for the attack. Then we bust them out of the ship."

"That's a good plan!" agreed Ash with Misty and Brock nodding.

"I just hope that this ship is going to Porta Vista."

(Cue song HOT STUFF by Norihito Sumitomo from Gran Turismo 5 Original Game Soundtrack)

It turned out that the ship was in fact heading for Porta Vista. We straight away agreed that we wouldn't let the impending attack by Team Rocket stop us from having a good time. So as we walked up the boarding steps we began to talk as if we knew nothing of Giovanni's plans.

"This is an awesome ship!" exclaimed Ash.

"I'd like to travel around the whole world in this!" added Misty in the same tone.

At the top of the stairs there was a ticket checker guy. Ash flashed the tickets to the man and he bowed towards us. "Welcome aboard the St. Anne! This way," he said, outstretching his hand toward the entrance.

"Thanks very much!" I replied as we all stepped inside. The entrance room was very large and was almost packed with trainers of all ages. There were several tables groaning with many different kinds of food. And there was talking everywhere! As we walked across the floor we saw several trainers showing off their Pokémon. In one corner there were several stalls with people shouting out their wares to gullible customers. Some of the shops were selling Pokémon souvenirs like necklaces, rings, pictures, shirts and even Pokémon.

"It's like a giant Pokémon convention!" said Ash who was eagerly looking around at all the things to see.

"Yep. There are trainers and enthusiasts alike on this tub," I replied. We stopped to see two trainers compare their Charmanders. A third butted in showing off his Squirtle.

"Trainers can't help but show off their Pokémon to other trainers when in a place like this," Vixey muttered softly, but audible to Ash, Brock, Misty, Pikachu, myself and Chrono.

"Well my Squirtle and my Charmander are much better than theirs are," grinned Ash before I whacked him softly on the head. "A little modesty never hurt a Pokémon trainer either," I said before sighing. "But you _are_ 10 years old so I guess it can't be helped. Besides, I like to brag myself," I added with a big grin. Vixey rolled her eyes at this but had a smile on her face.

I looked around again and spotted two people that caught my eye. A woman and an older man. The man was going nuts at a poker table. Texas Hold'em it looked to be. The man had very short platinum blond hair, moustache and goatee. Blue eyes, four helix piercings in the form of two hoops on each ear. Despite the fact that he was gambling like there was no tomorrow, he carried himself with sophistication and, but the sound of his voice, had a rich British accent. I reached out with my Aura and felt that he was totally engrossed in his gambling.

The younger woman was very beautiful; her bright, blond hair was slicked back and about jaw-length, with two long strands styled into distinctive antenna-like strands that curved up and over the top of her head. She had green eyes and was quite slim with an hourglass figure. But for all this beauty, her face was the perfect description of being pissed. That and the feeling of her Aura was quite unpleasant. Cold, ruthless and uncaring was what I sensed from her.

A sudden shout drew my attention away from the two and so we pushed through the crowd to see that a battle was about to start. Of course in a place like this a Pokémon battle was inevitable. On one side there was an older man in a black tuxedo, red bow, top hat and blue pants. He wielded a cane and wore large round glasses. In front of him was a Raticate. On the other side was a brown haired kid of about 11. He wore a green shirt and jeans and commanded a Starmie.

"Raticate! High Jump Kick!" ordered the top hat man. The rat Pokémon complied and jumped up high.

"Alright Starmie! Spinning Tackle!" called out the kid. The two Pokémon met in mid air and sprang apart, still strong.

"Raticate! Use Super Fang attack!" said the Top Hat. The Pokémon struck and bit down on the jewel area of Starmie, which cracked under the pressure. Starmie jumped back but quickly sunk to the floor, out of action. A large sign flashed 'WIN' above the Top Hat's head.

"Are you ok? Starmie?" asked the Starmie's trainer, worried.

"Oh don't feel too badly young man, it was only a practice match anyhow and I just happened to be lucky," said Top Hat.

"Luck had nothing to do with that. He knows what he's doing, plus his Raticate is strong and well trained. I don't think any of the average trainer on this ship could win," I whispered to Ash as an extremely beautiful woman in a silky magenta evening dress walked over to Top Hat. "Oh my! How gracious!" she said in that airhead like tone.

"Not at all miss," replied Top Hat. He then turned back to the trainer. "You just keep building up on Starmis's strength now." He then looked around for a new challenge. "Well now is there anyone brave enough to challenge my Raticate?"

(Cue song Passion by Yuki Oike from Gran Turismo 5 Original Game Soundtrack)

"Well I guess it's time for me to show off a bit," I said softly with a grin before stepping forward. I heard several oohs and ahhs from the crowd around us, as well as a soft, sulky "I was going to challenge him!" from Ash. I paid them no mind, keeping my eyes on Top Hat in front of me. I selected one Pokeball from my belt and began to spin it on the tip of my finger. I smiled as I turned to face him and bowed my head to him. "I'll be your next challenger," I announced.

"As you wish," he replied.

I grinned before throwing the ball high into the air and releasing the Pokémon inside. "Come on out Ifrit!" Said Pokémon materialised in front of me and stood ready for battle.

"Ho! I've never seen one of those before," said Top Hat as he eyed the Pokémon in front of him.

"He's a Blaziken from Hoenn," I announced. "You ready?"

Top Hat simply nodded.

"Very well," I said as the electronic countdown blared the start of the battle. I did my start of battle pose and said, "It's Time To Dual!"

"Raticate! High Jump Kick!" called Top Hat. The Pokémon jumped up high once again.

"Ifrit! Duck underneath and Fire Punch at 1/7 power!" I ordered. Ifrit did just that, ducking underneath Raticate fluidly and propelling his fist wreathed in flame at the Pokémon. The blow connected and sent the rat Pokémon flying back to his trainer. The Pokémon impacted the floor. It stood up, smoking slightly, but was close to fainting.

"Stand down Ifrit!" Ifrit relaxed his muscles and stood at ease. "Well mister. I think I've won this little practice match. I suggest you get your Raticate healed up." Top Hat simply nodded and withdrew from the battle area.

* * *

(Cue song City Circuit by Daisuke Kawai from Gran Turismo 5 Original Game Soundtrack)

After half an hour the ship was well on its way to Porta Vista. And currently we were stuffing our faces with food. Ifrit was still out and was happily chomping down on a chicken drumstick when Top Hat and his accompanying woman arrived at the table we were currently at.

"Are you havin' yourself a good time?" asked Top Hat.

"That we are, sir," I replied respectfully.

"You know that Blaziken of yours is quite strong," stated Top Hat.

"It's incredible," added the woman. This had an instant effect on Brock, whose face lit up like a stop light."She's beautiful!" he murmured, totally smitten. Misty tried to snap him out of it but all she got was "Beautiful."

"I raised him to be an excellent fighter and a gentleman. Ifrit's one of a kind," I explained, already having an idea on where this conversation was going.

"What did you think of my Raticate?" asked Top Hat.

"Well raised. Dependable," I said before sighing. "Why don't you cut to the chase and tell me what you want."

"In that case I'll be direct. Why don't we trade?" asked Top Hat.

"No," I said instantly. "My team is like my family and I'm not trading Ifrit to someone I just met."

Top Hat blinked as if he didn't expect that answer. "But my Raticate is really strong! And tough!"

"I have no doubt that against trainers like what you were dealing with before me, that Raticate was a strong Pokémon. But Ifrit here only used 1/7 of his power in the Fire Punch. If I was to trade with you, I would be ripped off." Here I clapped my hand on Ifrit's shoulder. "I consider Ifrit my brother and I know he feels the same. I'm sorry but my decision stands."

Top Hat sighed. "Very well. I see the connection between you two. I do not wish to break that bond." He then bowed to me before walking off.

Ifrit turned to me and smiled. "Cheers Josh," he said before launching into another piece of chicken.

"No problems mate. You know I feel like this for everyone in my team," I replied.

"What's trade?" asked Ash.

"Trading Pokémon is a strange business. If two people have the Pokémon they each want more than they want their own, they'll trade each other. For example, say I wanted Pikachu more than Ifrit and you wanted Ifrit here more than Pikachu. Or if you had a spare Pokémon that I wanted and vice versa. We would then use a trade machine to switch our Pokémon. The process works by removing the unique energy signature that connects the Pokémon to their Pokeballs and then stamps the Pokémon with the energy signature of your own Pokeball. And that's all there is to it. But traded Pokémon will sometimes not listen to their new trainers unless you do something to gain their trust and respect. However on the plus side newly traded Pokémon will level up much quicker. In respect your Charmander will follow these rules as he's classified as a fresh trade. Though I'm not sure on how Damion's Pokeball energy signature was overwritten by yours," I wondered the last part more to myself.

"I see," replied Ash.

"Brock! Pull yourself together man! You're drooling!" I shouted at Brock. This seemed to wake him up. "What? What?" he said while looking around. "Where is she?"

"She's gone you dope," said Misty.

-] With the two people at the Poker table [-

"Hoo yeah! Lady Luck is on my side tonight!" grinned the man as he waited for the cards to be dealt once again. He was just about to start when a hand clasped around his wrist and sharp nails dug in.

"Luxord," the woman said in a deceptively sweet voice. "What do you think you are doing? That's my money you're gambling with."

"Please, Larxene, you'll get your money back. Once I clean this place out," Luxord replied with a slightly pained expression.

"Do you remember what happened last time? And the time before that you little cocksucker?" Larxene continued in the same tone, all the while increasing her grip on his wrist.

"Oww. Give me some credit Larxene. I've been doing this longer than you have. I've counted 30 Team Rocket grunts. Plus there's an interesting person I've been keeping my eye on." Larxene raised one thin eyebrow.

"Yeah, the white haired kid with the two Ninetails beside him. There's something about him," Luxord nodded at the direction of the person he was talking about. Larxene turned to look at him before turning back to her partner.

"You seem pretty intrigued by this kid Luxord," Larxene said.

"Well, we'll see. In the meantime, deal me!"

-] Back with Josh and the gang [-

"Have you noticed anyone suspicious yet?" Brock asked. I nodded. "Most of the waiters look slightly dodgy. Most likely Team Rocket grunts in disguise. They'll be moving soon."

(Cue song Dark Clouds by Takanashi Yasuharu from NARUTO Shippuuden Original Soundtrack)

Right at that point all the doors out of the place slammed shut and the waiters ripped off their clothes to show the black and red grunt uniform of Team Rocket. Then the whole room went dark before a light turned on highlighting two people standing on a table. It was Jessie and James. Jessie looked pumped and rearing to go but James seemed bummed out about something.

*Cue Team Rocket Theme with a depressed James*

"Team Rocket will now take possession of your Pokémon!" called Jessie which began to cause some unrest amongst the trainers. The grunts then spread out and began to threaten people to give over their Pokeballs. When two came our way I grinned.

(Cue song Crushing by Yasuharu Takanashi from NARUTO Shippuuden Original Soundtrack II)

"Here we go!" I yelled before releasing Kaze and Baihu. "Let's kick them off the boat!"

The next several minutes were hectic. There were bursts of fire, gusts of wind, jets of water, bolts of electricity and cries of orders bouncing all around the room. It wasn't long before other trainers got a handle on what was going on and began to release their own Pokémon and fight back. Ash himself rallied a few other trainers and began to team tag the enemies. Each combined force attack blew the grunts throw windows into the sea. It wasn't long before every single Team Rocket member was blown off the boat, with Ash and Pikachu performing the cou de gra and blasting Jessie, James and Meowth away.

"Nice job everyone!" I yelled as I recalled Ifrit, Kaze and Aslan. I was met with cheers and happy laughing from everyone around me.

"I think we should all be proud of our Pokémon, and we taught Team Rocket a lesson they won't forget in a hurry," called Ash.

Then, all of a sudden, the ship tilted sideways dangerously and making it seesaw. It seemed there was a raging storm outside.

"Oh no! It's a big storm!" cried out Misty as she and Brock looked through one of the portals.

"It'll be tough to get to Porta Vista with waves like this!" replied Brock.

"Don't worry. I can take care of our little storm problem," I assured before pulling out Bahamut's Pokeball and releasing him. I jumped onto his back. "Take me outside to the top deck!" I ordered. Bahamut nodded and flew out of one of the holes a previous attack had caused. The Pokémon flew up and deposited me on the deck. I looked around me and nodded. It truly was a great storm. The ship would not survive for much longer.

"Ok Bahamut! Break up this storm!"

"You got it!" replied Bahamut before he began to glow with golden light. The red orbs at his neck and tail began to shine with power. Soon the waves on the sea grew smaller and smaller. The wind died down and finally the clouds began to disperse and evaporate. A large downpour was created as all the water in the clouds condensed and collected when the clouds began to disappear, however the rain cleared up moments later to reveal a clear starry night sky.

"Thanks Bahamut," I thanked as I jumped back onto his back and he flew down back through the hole and landed in front of Vixey, Chrono, Ash, Brock and Misty. I recalled Bahamut and grinned before sneezing.

(Cue music silence)

"Oh great. I clear up a storm and my reward is a cold," I muttered before sneezing again.

* * *

"Well that was interesting," Luxord murmured. "Kid goes out on a Dragonair and moments later the storm disappears. I think our Overlord will be interested in meeting this one. Could make a good candidate. What do you think Larxene?" Luxord turned to his partner to see her steaming with rage.

"Uhh, Larxene?"

"You think you can get out of this shit you've landed in? Huh?! That was my money you lost!" Larxene then retrieved four knives from her sleeve and grinned sadistically. "I know one way you can make it up to me."

* * *

(Cue song Kamiya Dojo -A Theme of Kenshin's Family- by Noriyuki Asakura from Rurouni Kenshin OST I)

"Ahchoo!" I sneezed again as I looked at my tablet computer. Eywa was sitting behind me, pushing healing psychic energy into me through my back. And I was studying Pikachu's Shield Overdrive, the Hiraishin. My Omnicamera was streaming the footage wirelessly to the tablet.

"Huh. I see now," I mumbled to myself as I watched the frame-by-frame footage of what happened. "It looks like Pikachu's body is covered with electricity. But how does that make him move at the speed of light? Is it somehow connected to Electromagnetic Levitation? That would explain the speed. But there are too many unexplained factors for that explanation. Plus physics isn't my forte. I'm getting a headache just thinking about it."

"Then don't think about it Josh," Eywa lightly chastised.

"What I want to know is if it really is Electromagnetic Levitation, then what is being used on the other end. Are the minerals in the ground being magnetized temporally or is the Earth's surface magnetic field being used?" I sighed. "It is a puzzler."

The rest of the voyage was uneventful. I even quickly got over my cold thanks to Eywa feeding me healing psychic energy into my body. It wasn't long before I was up and walking around the ship. I received several thanks for breaking up the storm and more than several recognised me and requested autographs from me, Vixey and Chrono.

At one point we were all relaxing out next to the pool on the top deck. I had all my Pokémon partners released to stretch themselves out and relax. Kaze, Shiva and Sora were currently flying around the ship, with many people taking heaps of photos of the two legendaries.

Ifrit was in the pool with Eywa sitting on the edge. She had removed her dress and now wore an azure two piece bikini swimsuit. I remember I was so surprised to learn that it wasn't permanently attached to her the first time she changed into a dress. Her mature form filled out the swimsuit very well. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes off her body. Apparently this was true for most of the other patrons as they used the pool. Some of the braver ones tried to chat her up despite the fact that she was most definitely a Pokémon. But then again, many people who owned a female Gardevoir were in a relationship with them so I didn't blame them. And her figure was very eye-catching to the males and even to one or two females. I shook my head before looking around some more.

Bahamut was also swimming around in the pool, giving rides to some of the younger kids. Baihu was sitting in the shade, observing everyone else. He did that often. Fenrir and Chrono were snoozing on floating platforms in the pool and Vixey was watching her friends flying in the sky. Hikari was nowhere to be seen but I knew she could take care of herself. Ash was having fun in the pool also, Misty was sunbathing in a red bikini and Brock was unsuccessfully trying to chat up every single beautiful sunbathing girl on the deck. It was quite a sad but entertaining thing to watch.

I was currently tapping away at my tablet, writing a new set of lyrics that had recently popped into my head. I was so completely focused on finishing up before they left my head that I didn't notice someone approach me.

(Cue song Suiri by Taniuchi Hideki from DEATH NOTE Original Soundtrack II)

"Hello there," said a voice and I looked up to see the gambler that I saw from before. He was wearing a pair of light blue shorts and an open white shirt. I caught the sight of bandages and Band-Aids covering his chest.

"Can I help you?" I asked as I jotted the last word into my tablet.

"No, but maybe I can help you," he replied as he sat on a deck chair next to me.

"Pardon?"

"I noticed that you're a fairly strong trainer the other day and I was wondering if you were curious about perhaps working for my organization," he asked.

"Organization?" I questioned.

"Yes. We dabble in several industries but we're always on the lookout for promising trainers such as yourself. Working for us would give you a stable income source, allow you to travel the world and if you were successful enough, lead your own team on some of the jobs we do," he explained.

"Such as?" I asked.

"Courier work, requitement. Like I said, we get jobs in a variety of different occupations," he replied, but I could tell he was treading lightly around the question. "So what do you say?"

I was silent, pretending to think it over before I shook my head. "Sorry, but I'm not interested."

He looked a little surprised. "This isn't an offer I make every day, you know."

"I understand… but I'm happy with my life as it is right now," I replied, getting an off feeling about him.

He nodded. "Very well. But take my card, in case you ever change your mind," he said as he held out a card. I hesitated but then I took the card. He then smiled. "I hope to see you again," he said before he walked off.

I watched him walk off and around a corner before I looked at the card. It was an indigo colour with a silver C in the centre and a ring surrounding the letter. "C… what could that mean?" I muttered to myself as I pulled out my wallet and tucked it inside.

(Cue song Ayame to Suzume -A Theme of The Kenshin's Family- by Noriyuki Asakura from Rurouni Kenshin OST I)

A sharp cry of surprise before a large splash caught my attention and I looked up to see Hikari at the edge of the pool laughing her head off while Chrono tried desperately to keep his head above the water while cursing loudly. I then gathered that Hikari must've surprised the Ninetails Pokémon enough to capsize into the pool. He got to the edge and pulled himself out with some effort and I started to giggle madly as I saw how odd he looked with all his fur and hair matted down and waterlogged. Especially his tails. They now looked thin and rat like.

"I'm so gonna kick your ass Hikari!" he roared, pissed as hell.

"You're gonna have to catch me first!" the female Absol teased.

"Have you forgotten that I'm the fastest on the team?" he replied with an evil gleam in his eyes.

"And have you forgotten that it won't work with you so loaded down with water?" she countered in a sing song voice.

"I'll still get you!" he replied before he began to run at Hikari, who quickly dashed away, laughing. "Get your bony ass back here!" Chrono yelled as he took off after her and looking extremely odd in doing so.

At this point I was rolling around the floor in laughter. In fact, all my friends who were at the scene were doing the same. As well as some of the other patrons.

Three days of calm sailing after that scene the ship ported at our destination. That day we, along with Ash, Misty and Brock, walked out onto the deck and soaked up the sunshine while gazing at the glimmering city bathing in the light.

"Guys?" I said for Ash's, Misty's and Brock's benefit, and gestured to the city. "Welcome to Porta Vista!"


	13. Chapter 13: Party on the Beach

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'  
**Kaze - **Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'  
**Sora - **Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'  
**Shiva - **Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'  
**Hikari - **Hayden Panettiere  
**Baihu - **Paul Mercierwho voiced Bear from '.hack/SIGN'  
**Fenrir - **Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'  
**Bahamut - **Jamie Foxx  
**Ifrit - **Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from 'DragonBall Z', Kuromaru from 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles', and Roronoa Zoro from 'One Piece'  
**Eywa - **Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'

(AN: Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across one. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future.)

(Chapter AN: All songs sung in this chapter are the property of those listed. I do not own them in any way.)

* * *

**Chapter 13: Party on the Beach**

(Cue song Soul Vaccination by Kenji Yamamoto from Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 OST)

Hot sunshine. Swaying palm trees. Beautiful women in skimpy bikinis. Cool sea water. Gritty sand. Tall, glittering hotels. And ice cream. These words described what made up Porta Vista, the holiday capital of the Kanto region. And right now Vixey, Chrono and I along with Ash, Brock, Misty and Pikachu were spending some quality time relaxing. Ever since I started travelling with Ash, we had been on the road almost constantly with very little break time. This was the perfect spot to take some well deserved R&R.

"Whoo Hoo!" yelled Ash as he, Brock and Pikachu jumped into the water.

"The water's cool!" said Ash.

"And the beach is hot!" added Brock before looking at all the women on the beach. Chrono grinned as he, Vixey and myself stood looking at what Brock was looking at. "What's hot for him I wonder? The beach or what's on it?"

"Hey!" called Misty and Ash looked over only to stare at the transformation she had undergone. She was wearing a simple red bikini, but the fact that she wore something so girly threw Ash a curve ball. "How's the water?"

"Uhhh…." said Ash, not realising she had asked a question.

"Hey Josh, how bout a bet-" Chrono grinned but I interrupted him.

"If it's about what I think it is, I ain't taking that bet," I replied with a grin that mirrored his.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked as we all moved over to her.

"It's just weird to see you looking like a girl," noted Ash.

"So predictable," I muttered as Misty wound up and slammed the beach ball she was carrying right in Ash's face. "I could've made a killing from that if I had just asked someone rich and a total stranger," Chrono sighed. I walked into the sea and pulled Ash out of the water. "Hey, I'm going on an ice cream run. You ordering?"

"Uhh, I'll have a vanilla choc-chip!" said Ash.

"I'll have rum and raisin," ordered Brock.

"I'll have strawberry!" called Misty.

"Ok! I'll be back soon," I said before I walked up the beach towards the ice cream shack with the two Ninetails following.

When I got to the shack, I was thankful there wasn't a huge line. I walked up to the counter and greeted the server.

"What'll it be?" the server asked.

"Six ice creams please. A vanilla choc-chip, a rum and raisin, a strawberry…" I paused to look at Vixey and Chrono. They both nodded. "A butterscotch, a rainbow and I'll get a…" I ran my eyes over the selection before my eyes widened and a huge grin appeared on my face. "I'll have the cookie's 'n' cream!"

"Here we go… fan boy alert," muttered Chrono. The server made up the order and handed me the cones, which I then handed them to Vixey to hold while I gorged on my own.

"You always did have a weakness for Cookies 'n' Cream flavoured ice cream," said Vixey.

"Not a weakness. An indulgence. There's a difference. I think," I replied before smiling and singing loudly, "I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice cream!" Chrono groaned loudly at this.

(Cue song We Ridin' by Fat Joe)

"Damn straight!" called a familiar voice behind me. I grinned and we turned around to see three people striding over the hot sand towards us. The first one was a male of Asian origin with a buzz haircut and white skin. He wore loose green shorts, shirt and blue sandals. The second was a woman also of Asian origins. She had long brown hair, pink short shorts and a pink bikini with bronze tanned skin. And the third was a black guy with black braids woven close to his head. He wore white pants and open shirt with black shoes.

"Jimmy! Suki! Tej! How ya going!? Why are you guys here?" I asked, very pleased to see my friends.

"We're good. We're just chilling here before moving over to Maiden's Peak for the Valentine's Concert," said Tej, the black guy with braids.

"How have you been Josh?" asked Suki, the brunette woman, as she gave me a hug and a friendly kiss on the cheek.

"Quite good Suki. I picked me up a Pokémon trainer apprentice in Viridian City," I replied, returning the hug and kiss. We separated and she bent down to scratched Chrono on the head.

"And how have you two been?" asked Jimmy, the bald guy, talking to my partners.

"We've been very good," replied Vixey.

"Despite the fact that the Boss picked up a moron for his apprentice," Chrono added.

I sighed and facepalmed myself before looking back to my friends. "Well we were just about to return to our new friends with these ice creams. You wanna come with and I'll introduce you?" I asked.

"'Course we will dawg. It's only right your manager, mixer and biggest fan meet any new friends you make," replied Tej, grinning.

We were only gone for 15 minutes but in that time the kids found some way to get into some trouble. It seemed that somehow they all found themselves on a nice boat and had taken it for a ride, not knowing who it belonged to. Then apparently they crashed into some sort of submerged rock, broke something on the ship and drove right into a jetty.

I sighed as I spotted an old man running toward us, pissed as all hell. "What are you doing you little vandals?! First you stole my boat and then you trashed my dock! You'll pay for this!"

Ash quickly jumped behind Misty and pushed her toward the old man. "This is all a big misunderstanding!" he said, but the old man was no longer listening as he looked at Misty's small, but prominent breasts. "You remind me of my granddaughter!" he said. I made a slightly off face. 'He looks at the breasts and says that? Nasty,' I thought while shaking my head.

I turned to Jimmy. "Go scope out the damage and give us a quote," I said.

"Sure thing Boss," he grinned before jumping over to the boat.

"By the way, who are these guys?" asked Ash, pointing to the newcomers.

"Ah, that's right. I was going to introduce you," I said as I handed out all the ice creams. "This is Tej, my manager," I pointed to the brown skinned guy.

"Waz up guys," he greeted.

"The girl is Tej's girlfriend, Suki. And the guy checking out the boat is Jimmy, my mixer and recorder. He mixes my live shows and records studio quality tracks for CD and digital distribution." I then turned to my friends. "Guys, this is Misty Waterflower from Cerulean City, Brock the ex-gym leader of Pewter Gym and Ash, the rookie I'm training. He's from Pallet Town."

Everyone exchanged hellos before Jimmy hopped back onto the damaged dock. "Well the damages are quite minimal. I'm guessing you're looking at roughly fifteen large," he reported. (AN: $1500)

"Well I can pay for that no sweat... but where's the fun in that," I said, smiling as a plan formed in my head.

"Oh ho? Live concert on the beach?" asked Tej, instantly knowing what I was thinking.

"You know me too well old friend. $10 a ticket?" I asked.

"Sounds good. We claim 150 souls to the party we'll break even. If we get less you can front the difference but if we gain more..."

"Yeah... we make ourselves a small profit. OK! Let's do this!" I said, fired up.

"G.O.M is ready to rock!" Tej, Suki, Jimmy, Vixey, Chrono and I called out together.

"Um... what's going on?" asked Ash.

I grinned. "You'll see kiddo. You'll see."

* * *

(Cue song 24-7 Crazy by Kenji Yamamoto from Dragon Ball Z - Budokai 3 Original Soundtrack)

The next two hours were very busy. My Pokémon used their various talents to help construct a stage where the parts came from my special storage cube. While I and my team were busy with the stage, Suki, Ash, Brock and Misty passed out flyers for the concert. Even their Pokémon helped out, creating an exciting buzz.

When the stage was done, and quite a large stage it was, we got to work on setting up the instruments and testing each one for use. Jimmy worked the mixing board to the side and Tej handled the selling of tickets.

While this happened, people and Pokémon alike were streaming in to see what was going on. The stage was quite obvious on the beach so even if someone didn't get a flyer, the sight of the stage would be enough to spike their curiosity. And soon there were over 150 people gathered in front of the stage with scores of Pokémon with their trainers.

I was backstage while most of the people had gathered here so most of my fan-girls didn't swamp me while I was getting ready. My team did that for me as they knew what to do.

I heard a noise behind me and I turned to see Suki walking round the back of the stage towards me.

"What's the scope out there?" I asked.

"Nice turnout. Despite the fact that no-one knew there was going to be a GOM concert here until two hours ago, there have been plenty of comers. We have roughly 230 people here and more keep coming," Suki reported. "There was a little misunderstanding with the police as they thought we were camped here illegally but I just flashed that card you gave me and they backed off. A few officers even offered to work as crowd control." She then looked down at the card that I had given her previously. "What kind of ID is this?" she asked.

"The organization gave it to me," I grinned before swiping the card out of her hands. The card was a special ID issued by the Guardian Angel Organization that allowed me to set up my stage for any unofficial concert I wanted to host as long as I was responsible for any problems that might occur from it.

"Well then, I guess there's no reason to stretch this on for much longer," I said. "Let Tej know that he needs to close the ticket bench down. We go live in 5."

"You got it Josh. Looking forward to it," she replied before running over to Tej. In the meantime, I opened a specialised pocket on my backpack and took out my Omnicamera, activated it and released it to begin recording.

Two minutes later Ash, Brock and Misty walked over to me.

"I'm looking forward to this!" said Misty eagerly.

"Yeah. I wonder what sort of music you're going to play?" wondered Brock.

"By the way, thanks for busting us out of that little accident," said Ash.

"No problem. This way, I also get something out of it, besides an extra $800+ dollars. I love to sing and play music," I replied. I then heard Tej walk out on stage and address the audience.

(Cue music silence)

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, and Pokémon of all types, put your hands and paws together for the greatest band to ever rock this world. GUARDIANS OF MUSIC!"

There was a large roar of cheering and squealing from the fan-girls as I and my team walked up on stage. The majority of the instruments were at the back of the stage, while the ones needed for the first song were already prepared. Chrono placed himself at the expansive drum set and picked up seven drumsticks and two bass drum thumpers with his tails and positioned himself ready. Ifrit stood at a turntable and sample setup with a mic next to him. Bahamut stood at a mic and I placed myself next to him at another mic. Kaze, Fenrir and Baihu set themselves up at a single mic as backup singers. I saw Ash and the others squeeze into the front with all of Ash's Pokémon out to see the show.

"Hello Porta Vista!" I called out to be met with cheering. The fan-girls were going nuts. I held up my hand for silence and got it. "Today GOM is going to play 10 songs for you guys so enjoy the show!" I then turned to my team and nodded. Chrono started up a drumstick beat before the song started.

[speaking = selected solo singer. **Singing** = Ifrit, Bahamut and I singing]

(Cue song 369 by Cupid feat. B.O.B.)

**3, 6, 9, the goose drank wine  
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line  
The line broke, the monkey got choked  
And they all went to heaven in a little rowboat**

Me: Ladies and gentlemen  
I'm about to make you feel alright  
I've got the beat to move your feet  
Plus I know just what you like

You're hotter than a pepper  
1, 2 stepper, baby that is a shame  
You gotta keep it moving, gotta keep it groovin'  
Cause baby you're off the chain

Now let me see ya like  
A hanky panky I'm a turn around  
The girl's gonna do it, let me lay it down  
There's a couple of games I like to play  
By the time I'm due this is what you'll say

**3, 6, 9, the goose drank wine  
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line  
The line broke, the monkey got choked  
And they all went to heaven in a little rowboat**

**3, 6, 9, the goose drank wine**  
**The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line**  
**The line broke, the monkey got choked**  
**And they all went to heaven in a little rowboat**

Me: If you gotta problem  
I don't wanna hear it just let it go

All my ladies on the beat  
Let me see you drop it to the floor

Fellas take a look around  
The ladies are so fine!  
It's going down, so get on up  
Now you add that second line

Now let me see ya like  
A hanky panky I'ma turn around  
The girl's gonna do it, let me lay it down  
There's a couple of games I like to play  
By the time I'm due this is what you'll say

**3, 6, 9, the goose drank wine  
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line  
The line broke, the monkey got choked  
And they all went to heaven in a little rowboat**

**3, 6, 9, the goose drank wine**  
**The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line**  
**The line broke, the monkey got choked**  
**And they all went to heaven in a little rowboat**

Bahamut: Acting like a radar  
The way she movin' faster  
Then go slow just like some dalla  
So maybe me and her  
Can get to chewin' like tobacco  
That's old fashioned talk  
But my slang is rather dapper  
And plus I got the swagger  
Clap Clap Like a pistol  
She seen my everywhere  
Because I be on my grizzle  
Dat mean I'm on my ground  
All the time  
No matter little  
Her name is Claudia  
She said meet ya in a little bit  
So I'm trying to see if she can Clap clap

Me: In the building  
Women let me see ya  
Clap clap  
Players in the building  
Let me see ya  
Clap clap  
Came to get it started  
Let me see ya  
Clap clap  
Came to have a party  
Let me see ya

Chorus x4  
**3, 6, 9, the goose drank wine  
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line  
The line broke, the monkey got choked  
And they all went to heaven in a little rowboat  
**  
As the final drum beat was struck, everyone erupted into cheers and whoops. I walked over and patted each of my team on the head fondly, telling them each, "Well done." I then came to the front.

"Thank you! That was 369. Next up is a song called 'Got To Be Real' featuring Vixey and myself with Shiva and Hikari as back-up singers so don't go away while we set up!"

The next couple of minutes all the relevant instruments were brought forward and tested. When I was satisfied I approached my mic once again.

"Thank you for waiting. This next song is 'Got To Be Real'"

[Me = _singing_, Vixey = singing, Shiva + Hikari = **singing**]

(Got To Be Real by Mary J. Blige feat Will Smith)

I always wanted you to be my baby  
When you touch me boy you drive me crazy  
I don't wanna be your secret lover  
When I get you boy there'll be no other

**You and me its gotta be** the real thing  
**Diamond, gold I'll set you free** my baby  
**Wait too long boy I'll be gone** so hurry  
**Wanna get this love don't do me wrong**

**What you find now** I think I love you  
**What you feel now** I think I need you  
**What you know now to be real**

I get with you boy on one condition  
If you promise not to ever mention  
All the things we do to any of your friends  
I can promise you the love will never end

**You and me its gotta be **the real thing  
**Diamond, gold I'll set you free** my baby  
**Wait too long boy I'll be gone** better hurry now  
**Wanna get this love don't do me wrong**

**What you find now** I think I love you  
**What you feel now** I think I need you  
**What you know now** **to be real**

_I pulled up to the front door of your love and I  
Knock knocked and you opened up now you  
Can't get enough, you was thinking one lil' date  
Ate sushi wit ya soul mate  
Dead the ice or the SUV's  
Our love grows you chose to water the seas  
You the one I've fallen for the more we walk down love's corridor  
the angels all applaud (I want ya)  
See the look in my eyes don't ya  
Like a kid in my whip with Willy Wonka  
Like back in the day playin wit Tonla  
Gimme ya palm ma lemme read ya fortune  
I see trust with hard times and honesty  
We gon' go down in history  
One look in your face just prove the fact  
that u don't have to chase what u can attract  
now what's real_

**What you find now**  
**What you feel now** Whatcha say, Watcha say!  
**What you know now** **to be real**

**What you find now** Gotta be real, gotta be real  
**What you feel now** Gotta be real, gotta be real  
**What you know now** **to be real**

**What you find now**  
**What you feel now**  
**What you know now** **to be real**

As we were singing this song, I could've sworn that Vixey kept glancing at me throughout the whole song. At first I thought I was doing something wrong on the guitar but she didn't seem disapproving. I dismissed it. If it was something important, she would tell me.

This song acquired just as strong an applause as for the previous song. We were on a good roll. Eywa was doing an especially good job with using Psychic on the instruments. She was able to manipulate up to fifty instruments, even if they were playing different melodies. This was an asset when the songs required orchestral help. With this last song though it was playing the trumpets.

"Thank you very much. The next song Shiva will be singing 'Simple and Clean' for you with Hikari and Vixey helping." I looked around to see Shiva step forward and I fixed a mic next to her beak so she didn't have to stay stooped down while singing. I looked around to see that everyone was ready. I wasn't doing anything in this song so I stepped off the stage and stood by Jimmy.

[singing = Shiva, **singing** = All three]

(Simple and Clean -PLANITb Remix- (Short Edit) by Utada Hikaru from Kingdom Hearts OST)

You're giving me too many things  
Lately you're all I need  
You smiled at me and said,

"Don't get me wrong I love you  
But does that mean I have to meet your father?  
When we are older you'll understand  
What I meant when I said 'No.'"  
I don't think life is quite that simple

**When you walk away  
You don't hear me say**  
Please oh baby, don't go  
**Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight**  
It's hard to let it go

**Hold me  
Whatever lies beyond this morning  
Is a little later on**  
Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all  
Nothing's like before

**Hold me  
Whatever lies beyond this morning  
Is a little later on**  
Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all  
Nothing's like before

It was a short song, but nonetheless it gained a loud and enthusiastic applause. I hopped back on stage while my team assembled instruments for a more jazzy ensemble piece. I picked up a guitar and spoke into the mic.

"Next we have a spicy samba piece so I want you to really shake it for this one. This is 'Livin' La Vida Loca, sung by Fenrir and Kaze!"

[Singing = Fenrir, _singing _= Kaze, **singing** = both]

(Livin' La Vida Loca but Ricky Martin)

She's into superstitions black cats and voodoo dolls.  
I feel a premonition that girl's gonna make me fall.  
_She's into new sensations new kicks in the candle light.  
She's got a new addiction for every day and night._

**She'll make you take your clothes off and go dancing in the rain.  
She'll make you live her crazy life but she'll take away your pain  
like a bullet to your brain.** _Come On!_

**Upside, inside out** she's livin la vida loca  
**She'll push and pull you down,** livin la vida loca  
**Her lips are devil red** and her skin's the color mocha  
**She will wear you out** livin la vida loca _Come On!  
_Livin la vida loca, _Come on!  
_She's livin la vida loca.

Woke up in New York City in a funky cheap hotel  
She took my heart and she took my money  
she must've slipped me a sleeping pill  
**She never drinks the water and makes you order French Champagne  
Once you've had a taste of her you'll never be the same  
Yeah, she'll make you go insane.** _Come On!_

**Upside, inside out** she's livin la vida loca  
**She'll push and pull you down,** livin la vida loca  
**Her lips are devil red** and her skin's the color mocha  
**She will wear you out** livin la vida loca _Come On!  
_Livin la vida loca, _Come on!  
_She's livin la vida loca.

**She'll make you take your clothes off and go dancing in the rain.  
She'll make you live her crazy life  
but she'll take away your pain like a bullet to your brain.** _Come On!_

**Upside, inside out** she's livin la vida loca  
**She'll push and pull you down,** livin la vida loca  
**Her lips are devil red** and her skin's the color mocha  
**She will wear you out** livin la vida loca._ Come On!  
_  
**Upside, inside out** she's livin la vida loca  
**She'll push and pull you down,** livin la vida loca  
**Her lips are devil red** and her skin's the color mocha  
**She will wear you out** livin la vida loca _Come On!  
_Livin la vida loca, _Come on!  
_She's livin la vida loca.

As this song was played I surveyed the crowd. Everyone was dancing, all the girls were shaking their asses and some of the braver guys were grinding up next to them. Poor Brock tried to get in on some of the action but all the good looking girls were already taken. Ash seemed quite happy simply dancing with Pikachu and his other Pokémon and Misty was dancing by herself, but she looked like she was having a lot of fun.

Again, the song was met with passionate applause. I was grinning widely as I took the mic. "Good to see you all getting into the spirit of that song." Several guys and girls blushed madly at that. "The next song is one of my personal favourites. I hope you like it too." I looked behind me to see Fenrir and Kaze stay on the mics while Chrono continued to use the drums. Ifrit was back on the keyboard and Sora was using Psychic on the bass guitar. Bahamut manipulated a guitar with Psychic while Vixey and Hikari moved next to Kaze and Fenrir to share their mics. Finally Eywa manipulated several string instruments into a ready position. I turned back to the crowd, who was watching silently for the next act. "This is 'Smile'."

[Singing = Me, _singing_ = Vixey and Hikari, **singing** = all]

(Smile by Uncle Cracker. Sung by Myself with Kaze, Fenrir, Vixey and Hikari)

You're better than the best  
I'm lucky just to linger in your light  
Cooler then the flip side of my pillow that's right  
Completely unaware  
Nothing can compare to where you send me  
Lets me know that it's ok  
Yeah it's ok  
And the moments when my good times start to fade

**You make me smile like the sun  
Fall outta bed  
Sing like a bird  
Dizzy in my head  
Spin like a record  
Crazy on a Sunday night**

**You make me dance like a fool**  
**Forget how to breathe**  
**Shine like gold**  
**Buzz like a bee**  
**Just the thought of you can drive me wild  
**Oh, you make me smile

Even when you're gone  
Somehow you come along  
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that  
You steal away the rain and just like that

**You make me smile like the sun  
Fall outta bed  
Sing like a bird  
Dizzy in my head  
Spin like a record  
Crazy on a Sunday night**

**You make me dance like a fool**  
**Forget how to breathe**  
**Shine like gold**  
**Buzz like a bee**  
**Just the thought of you can drive me wild**  
Oh, you make me smile

Don't know how I lived without you  
'Cuz every time that I get around you  
I see the best of me inside your eyes  
**You make me smile**

You make me dance like a fool  
Forget how to breathe  
Shine like gold  
Buzz like a bee  
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

**You make me smile like the sun  
Fall outta bed  
Sing like bird  
Dizzy in my head  
Spin like a record  
Crazy on a Sunday night**

**You make me dance like a fool**  
**Forget how to breathe**  
**Shine like gold**  
**Buzz like a bee**  
**Just the thought of you can drive me wild**  
Oh, you make me smile  
_Oh, you make me smile_  
Oh, you make me smile  
_Oh, you make me smile_  
Oh, you make me smile

This brought a good applause in as well. Everyone was going nuts, none more so than my fan club. I caught the sound of "I love you!" and "Go out with me!" amongst the cries. I sighed internally before collecting myself and speaking once again.

"We're halfway through the concert and so far it seems you're having a good time. Am I right?"

"YEAH!" roared the crowd.

"Good! The next song we'll be singing for you is called 'Can You Feel It' sung by Ifrit! Enjoy!"

(Can You Feel It by Timomatic. Sung by Ifrit)

I don't know how I got here  
But it don't even matter  
I'm lost-uh in the darkness  
With lights and sounds and lasers

Somewhere in the distance  
I hear a whisper  
I can hear it calling me, calling me  
And just like an echo  
Telling me to let go  
Coming from a voice that I can't see

To all our party people 'round the globe  
This is the sound of the music taking hold

Can you feel it?  
Can you feel it?  
Can you feel it?

Riding on the soundwave  
And I can see the light glow  
Surrounded by this moment  
The music takes me higher

Somewhere in the distance  
I hear a whisper  
I can feel it calling me, calling me (calling me)  
And just like an echo  
Telling me to let go  
Coming from a voice that I can't see

To all our party people 'round the globe  
This is the sound of the music taking hold

Can you feel it?  
Can you feel it?

Can you feel it?  
Can you, can you, can you feel it?

To all our party people 'round the globe  
This is the sound of the music taking hold

Can you feel it?  
Can you feel it?  
Can you feel it?  
No, no, no  
No, no, no  
No, no, no  
No, no, no  
Can you feel it?

This song got a very nice response from the audience. I clapped my hand on Ifrit's shoulder and grinned at him.

"Nice one there. You seriously nailed it," I congratulated before I spoke into my mic once more.

"Next up is another ideal dancing song called 'Mas Que Nada'. This one is going to be sung by myself, Vixey, Bahamut, Ifrit and Eywa. Are you ready?!"

"YEAH!"

"Ok, let's go!"

[Cue song Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes Feat. Black Eyed Peas] (AN: Song has been edited slightly for use by GOM.)

(Singing = Listed singer. **Singing** = everyone.)

** Oariá raiô  
Obá Obá Obá  
Oariá raiô  
Obá Obá Obá**

** mas que nada**  
Josh: G O M came to make it **hotter**  
we beat the party **starters**  
bubblin up just like **lava**  
like lava HEATED like a **sauna**  
penetrating THROUGH your body **armor**  
rhythmically we MAS**SAGE** **ya**  
with hip hop mixed up with **samba**  
with samba so yes **yes y`all**  
you know we never stop  
we never rest **y`all**  
the GOM are keeping it funky fresh **y`all**  
and we won't stop until we get Y'ALL, **til we get Y'ALL sayin'**

** Oariá raiô  
Obá Obá Obá  
Oariá raiô  
Obá Obá Obá**

Ifrit: peter piper picked peppers but **Tab rocked ryhmes**  
1,2,3, FOUR, **several times**  
heavy rotation PLAYED by **every kind**  
radio stations BLASTING **EVERY** **mind**  
we crossing boundaries like everyday  
TO ROCK YOUR ROBBIE BOBBIE BEAMER ON THE BAY  
we got we got **tab magnification** tab magnified  
like **every day**

Josh: so yes **yes y'all**  
you know we never stop we never rest y`all **y`all**  
the GOM are keeping it funky fressh **y`all**  
and we won't stop until we get Y'ALL, **til we get Y'ALL sayin**

** Oariá raiô  
Obá Obá Obá  
**Vixey: (lá, lá, lá, lá, lá)**  
Oariá raiô  
Obá Obá Obá**

Bahamut: **drop hot hot** be my daily **operation**  
got to put it work in this crazy **occupation**  
gotta keep it movin' **that's the motivation**  
gotta ride the waves and keep a tight relation  
with my team keeping moving and doing it right  
**i've been in a lab every day til daylight**  
that's the way things move in this FUNKY **business**  
Josh: we took a old samba song and remixed it

Eywa: Mas que nada  
Sai da minha frente  
Eu quero passar  
Pois o samba esta animado  
O que eu quero e sambar  
Este samba  
Que e misto de maracatu  
E samba de preto velho  
Samba de preto tu

Vixey: **mas que nada**, we gonna make you feel lil hotter  
the GOM's and Mister Ifrit heating up sambaaaa  
bada, bada, bada, baaaaaa  
Josh: Ifrit play your piano Ifrit play your yo yo yo yo piano (echoing)

**Oariá raiô  
Obá Obá Obá**  
Vixey: (lá, lá, lá, lá, lá)  
**Oariá raiô  
Obá Obá Obá**  
Vixey: (lá, lá, lá, lá, lá)

** Oariá raiô  
Obá Obá Obá**

Eywa: Este samba  
Que e misto de maracatu  
E samba de preto velho  
Samba de preto tu  
Este samba  
Que e misto de maracatu  
E samba de preto velho  
Samba de preto tu

Vixey: (lá, lá, lá, lá, lá)

This song produced identical results to the Livin' La Vida Loca song. The women were really getting down and shaking their asses while smitten males watched with large blushes on their faces.

"I trust you enjoyed that?" I asked slyly. Everyone blushed once again. "Next up is a song called 'Nothing To Lose', sung by the lovely Vixey, Hikari and Eywa." After a few minutes of setting up we were ready.

(Nothing To Lose by Sweet Female Attitude. Wasn't able to find the lyrics online.)

A lot of smitten Pokémon were around after this song finished. And I didn't blame them. Vixey, Eywa and Hikari were very attractive to them. Vixey swayed her tails from side to side, Eywa's presence was enough for her and Hikari's voice sent pleasurable shivers through the crowd. Plus Eywa's body had several human guy's eyes glued to her form.

"That was 'Nothing To Lose' sung by the beautiful Vixey, Hikari and Eywa!" I called to the crowd and they roared back. "Next up is a song sung by myself, Ifrit and Bahamut." After a few minutes of shifting instruments around we were ready to kick off the eighth song.

(Holla! by Baha Men)

[singing = Josh, _singing_ = Ifrit, singing = Bahamut, **singing** = all]

**Hey, oh, he-ey  
Hey, oh, he-ey  
Hey, oh, he-ey  
How. **Uh!  
**Let me hear you holla!  
**  
**Hey, oh!  
What's good wit' you now?  
Hey oh, (Hey!)  
You know what to do now;  
Holla! Holla!  
We got the rhythm,  
We got the most fun.  
**  
Like this, we gonna drop the beat  
Rock the house, get you up on your feet  
Get away from the rat race  
It's a paaarty

**Like that**, we gonna raise the roof  
Let the music do it's thing to you  
Play ahead and get it started  
Move your body

**Come on now take you for a ride  
**Drop the top and dance all night  
**Life is good so let me hear you holler**

**Hey, oh!  
What's good wit' you now?  
Hey oh, (Hey!)  
You know what to do now;  
Holla! Holla!  
We got the rhythm,  
We got the most fun.**

**Hey, oh!  
What's good wit' you now?  
Hey oh, (Hey!)  
You know what to do now;  
Holla! Holla!  
We got the rhythm,  
We got the most fun.**

_Jump back, a-brush side to side  
Roll your booty 'round from left to right  
Look at you, here we go now  
I think you got it  
_  
**That's right**, _where you take it though  
Up, up, up is where you want to go  
The kick box, feel the bass talk  
Now baby work it now  
_  
**That's exactly how we do**  
_Bringing the party to you_  
**Life is good so let me hear you holler**

**Hey, oh!  
What's good wit' you now?  
Hey oh, (Hey!)  
You know what to do now;  
Holla! Holla!  
We got the rhythm,  
We got the most fun.**

Hey, oh!  
What's good wit' you now?  
Hey oh, (Hey!)  
You know what to do now;  
Holla! Holla!  
We got the rhythm,  
We got the most fun.

Time flies on, don't waste it frowning  
Come go with me and let your **hea-head down**  
_Ride your groove and let it out_  
**Don't stop! Keep it hot**  
**(keep it hot, keep it hot, keep it hot, keep it hot)  
**_Let me hear you holler_**  
(keep it hot, keep it hot, keep it hot, keep it hot)**

Hey, oh, he-ey  
Hey, oh, he-ey  
Hey, oh, he-ey  
How.  
Let me hear you holla!

Hey, oh, he-ey  
Hey, oh, he-ey  
Hey, oh, he-ey  
How.  
Let me hear you holla!

Come on everybody holla  
You don't have to bring a dollar  
Come on up and do your thing  
Come on-a make your body sing  
If you wanna jump and dance  
Come on-a make your body dance  
Come on yeah  
Come on ja  
Jump up and **HOLLA!**

**Hey, oh!  
What's good wit' you now?  
Hey oh, (Hey!)  
You know what to do now;  
Holla! Holla!  
We got the rhythm,  
We got the most fun.**

Hey, oh!  
What's good wit' you now?  
Hey oh, (Hey!)  
You know what to do now;  
Holla! Holla!  
We got the rhythm,  
We got the most fun.

Hey, oh!  
What's good wit' you now?  
Hey oh, (Hey!)  
You know what to do now;  
Holla! Holla!  
We got the rhythm,  
We got the most fun.

This song got a good reaction out of the crowd. A lively, upbeat melody. Sadly all good things must come to an end.

"Sadly we must bring this concert to an end," I said, electing groans and whines from everyone in the crowd. "However, we still have one more song to leave you with," this got cheers. I smiled before looking behind me. Everyone was ready. "For this song, everyone is singing in it. Myself and Eywa will be the lead singers. This is 'One World'!"

(Cue One World - Ending Credits Song for Pokémon Heroes)

[singing = Josh, _singing_ = Eywa, singing = choir, **singing** = everyone)

A magic feeling, its growing so strong,  
Always leads me to a place where I belong.  
Won't go away, never lets me down,  
I've got the greatest friends that ever could be found.

Across every river, behind every tree,  
On top of every mountain, they're a part of you and me!

One world  
_One world_ - now and forever!  
Best friends  
_Best friends_, loyal and true!  
One dream  
_One dream_ that side by side,  
**There's nothing we can't do!**

One hand  
_One hand_ helping the other!  
Each heart  
_Each heart_ beating as one!  
We live  
_We live_ always together,  
**Sharing the same bright sun!**  
One world, _one world_  
You & Me & Pokémon!

_They rush like water, soar like the wind,  
They're always with me every day that I begin.  
They burn like fire, they chill like ice,  
They take on any challenge, make any sacrifice.  
_  
**Across every river, behind every tree,  
On top of every mountain, they're a part of you and me!**

One world  
_One world_ - now and forever!  
Best friends  
_Best friends_, loyal and true!  
One dream  
_One dream_ that side by side,  
**There's nothing we can't do!**

One hand  
_One hand_ helping the other!  
Each heart  
_Each heart_ beating as one!  
We live  
_We live_ always together,  
**Sharing the same bright sun!**  
You & me & Pokémon!

You & me & Pokémon!

One world  
_One world_ - now and forever!  
Best friends  
_Best friends_, loyal and true!  
One dream  
_One dream_ that side by side,  
**There's nothing we can't do!**

One hand  
_One hand_ helping the other!  
Each heart  
_Each heart_ beating as one!  
We live  
_We live_ always together,  
**Sharing the same bright sun!**

One world  
_One world_ - now and forever!  
Best friends  
_Best friends_, loyal and true!  
One dream  
_One dream_ that side by side,  
**There's nothing we can't do!**

**You & me & Pokémon!**

**One World!**

In the final stretch I and any of my team that wasn't playing an instrument began to clap, encouraging the audience to do so as well. The applause afterwards was absolutely thunderous. I felt really good, glad I could give this to the world; the joy of music. I could tell, without looking, that my partners and friends felt the same.

"Thank you Porta Vista! Give a final round of applause to Sora who was on bass, Chrono on drums, Ifrit on keyboard, Bahamut on secondary guitar, Eywa playing the extra instruments, Baihu, Fenrir, Hikari, Kaze, Shiva, Vixey and of course, myself on lead guitar. Special thanks to Tej for ticket sales, Jimmy for sound mixing, and Suki, Ash, Brock, Misty and their Pokémon partners for help in advertising. This has been Guardians of Music playing for you today. All songs played today will be available to buy on CD or digital distribution downloaded off the net later on this year. Keep an eye on TV and radio ads for the release date for our newest album, 'GOM: One World'"

"Our next concert is the Valentines Concert at Maiden's Peak. We hope to see all of you there!" finished up Vixey. The response assured us that at least some would make it. The next two hours was spent disassembling the stage and sealing the parts back into the storage cube. As this was happening I and my team signed a few autographs.

After everything was done, I sat down on the sand and let out a huge sigh. "That was a good concert," I said.

"It sure was!" replied Vixey. I turned to Tej. "Did you pay the old man?"

"I did, and we have $900 left over from ticket sales. Here's your part," he handed me $500.

"Cheers," I replied before standing up and looking at Ash. "So which was your favourite song guys?" I asked.

"One World!" Ash said instantly.

"Let's see... I think Mas Que Nada for me," said Brock.

"Yeah, you would. Any song that made all the hot babes start shaking their bodies around is alright in your book," said Chrono slyly. Brock blushed massively.

"I liked Simple and Clean myself," said Misty.

(Cue song FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 ~Future~ by Masashi Hamauzu from Final Fantasy XIII-2 Original Soundtrack)

"Well I liked them all," called a feminine voice that had me freeze. Slowly a large smile grew onto my face as I turned around to see the speaker. She was almost as tall as me. The feature that stood out the most on her was her incredibly long, wavy blonde hair, reaching all the way down to just pass her knees. She was dressed all in black; black knee length pencil skirt with black stockings underneath, a black V-neck halter vest that showed off some seriously nice cleavage with a black long sleeved trench coat. The cuffs and bottom of the coat was lined with black fur and she had a fur accessory around her neck. Her blonde hair covered her left eye but her right was shown, a bright silver. Attached to her hair, just above her ears were black and gold Lucario-like appendages. Our eyes met and she smiled at me.

"Good to finally see you Josh," she spoke.

I continued to smile. "Cynthia."


	14. Chapter 14: Catching Up

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'  
**Kaze - **Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'  
**Sora - **Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'  
**Shiva - **Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'  
**Hikari - **Hayden Panettiere  
**Baihu - **Paul Mercierwho voiced Bear from '.hack/SIGN'  
**Fenrir - **Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'  
**Bahamut - **Jamie Foxx  
**Ifrit - **Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from 'DragonBall Z', Kuromaru from 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles', and Roronoa Zoro from 'One Piece'  
**Eywa - **Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'

(AN: Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across one. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future.)

(AN Warning: This is an OCC Cynthia. Don't expect her to act like the cool, calm and collected anime and manga version. Sorry if this upsets some people.)

* * *

**Chapter 14: Catching Up**

(Cue song WRAPPED IN KINDNESS by Sagisu Shirou from BLEACH Original Soundtrack IV)

We stared at each other before Cynthia cried out and launched herself at me, arms outstretched. Not wanting to be knocked on my ass I caught her and spun around to steady ourselves.

"Calm down Cynth!" I said, grinning.

"Sorry, it's just that I'm so happy to see you!" she replied before giving me a fierce hug, which I returned just as strongly.

"It's good to see you too Cynthia. It's been what? Five years?" I asked.

"Yeah! It has been that long!" she replied, releasing me.

"Cynthia!" both Vixey and Chrono called with joy and the two gathered around her.

"And how have you two been?" Cynthia asked.

"We've been very well," replied Vixey.

"Yeah, what she said," added Chrono.

"That's good."

"Umm... who is this Josh? Your friend?" asked Ash.

"My best friend. We've been so since early childhood," I replied. "We both grew up together in Celestic Town with another kid and the three of us were always together for everything we did."

"The two of us might as well be twins as we were born at exactly the same time," said the blonde.

"Wow! The same time, huh?" Misty said, surprised.

"Such a beautiful woman can only have a handsome man such as myself by your side!" said Brock, doing his usual. I shook my head in amusement. "What say you and I go out and begin our summer of love?!"

But Cynthia simply smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Not interested."

Poor Brock slumped to the ground, disappointed. Chrono began to laugh it up. "Nice going Romeo!" he said.

"Well, I was expecting that from you Brock. Cynthia's the Sinnoh League Mistress," I said.

"What's that mean?" Ask asked.

"Means that I'm the Champion of the Sinnoh League," Cynthia explained. This brought shock and awe to Ash, Brock and Misty.

"Really? Then why are you here?" asked Brock, completely recovered.

"The Sinnoh League ended a couple of months ago and I stuck around for any challengers until four weeks back. I had some business to take care of but then I journeyed straight here afterwards to see Josh as I haven't seen him for a while," explained Cynthia.

"But what if someone wants to challenge you?" asked Misty.

"Then they'll just have to wait till just after the next Sinnoh League Tournament. A new rule has been made that says the Champions of each region can take challengers one month after the regional tournament. This gives the Elite Four and Champion time to train or pursue a personal task," replied Cynthia. "So I've decided to join Josh on his journey."

"So who's stronger?" asked Ash eagerly.

Cynthia and I looked at each other. "We don't know. We're currently tied for victories. Technically I'm stronger as I'm an S-ranked Master while Cynthia is a Champion Master, or A-rank. Why don't you go for your S-rank licence?" I asked.

"Because I like being a Champion, being the role model for so many Sinnoh Pokémon Trainers," replied Cynthia while grasping her hands to her chest.

I sweatdropped before grinning. "Certainly sounds like you Cynth. We were going to lounge around for a bit before moving to Maiden's Peak to do the Valentines Concert before moving on to Saffron City for the first of two regional concerts. Ash has something to do there as well."

"I do?" asked Ash.

"Yeah. A new badge awaits your victory at the gym there."

"Oh YEAH! We're so going to Saffron City!" yelled Ash, fired up already.

"You've certainly found an interesting rookie there," murmured Cynthia.

"I know he's still quite green but I'll toughen him into a veteran eventually. He's got the right attitude and his team is well oriented to handle most type battles. With my guidance, he'll become one of the best," I said confidently.

Cynthia simply smiled and gave me another hug, more gentle now, as she leaned into me. "I've really missed having you around."

"Yeah, same here. It's never the same without your best buddy round," I replied. I thought I felt her stiffen slightly, but it must've been my imagination. We let go and I turned to Ash. "Let's go find us somewhere to have some early dinner," I said.

"Ok," he replied.

"We're going to go to Maiden's Peak and set up the stall there," announced Tej. In response I took out my Omnicamera, pressed a button on the side and a small disk slid out of a slot above the button. I put the camera back, placed the disk inside a case and gave it to Tej. "Here's the recording of today's concert. See if you can sell a few advanced copies at Maiden's Peak."

"You got it dawg," Tej replied before he handed the disk to Jimmy.

I then shook his hand. "See you in three days," I said before we walked off the beach and onto the street.

* * *

(Cue song Out of the Cold by Jeremy Soule from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Original Soundtrack)

We found ourselves a nice bar 'n' restaurant and proceeded to book a table for seven. There was myself, Ash, Brock, Misty, Vixey, Chrono and Cynthia. As we waited for the food to come out, we talked amongst ourselves.

"So how's Aaron, Bertha, Flint and Lucian doing?" I asked.

"They're fine. Lucian thanks you for your present," Cynthia replied.

"I'm glad he liked the book I sent him. I certainly enjoyed it," I said.

"I can vouch for that. It was two days of doing nothing but laying around and having my ears rubbed while he read. It was great!" sighed Chrono in content from the memory with a dreamy smile plastered all over his muzzle.

"It was nice," agreed Vixey with the exact same dreamy smile.

"Who are you talking about?" asked Ash, who was sitting next to me. Cynthia was on the opposite side of the table with Misty. Vixey sat on the other side of me and Chrono say next to her at the foot of the table. Brock sat opposite of him.

"Aaron, Bertha, Flint and Lucian are the Sinnoh's Elite Four. You remember the Elite Four, right?" I asked.

"Yeah... somewhat," he replied a little embarrassed that he had forgotten them. I sighed.

"The Elite Four are kind of like trials before you get to challenge the Champion of whatever region you are at. You beat the Elite Four, you can officially challenge the Champion for his, or her, spot as a Pokémon Champion Trainer."

"But you can also challenge the Champion or an Elite Four Trainer in an unofficial match. Same rules, but if you win, it doesn't mean anything," continued Cynthia from me. "What I mean is, if you win an unofficial match with an Elite Four Trainer, you will still have to gain a win against the trainer when you go for an official match against a Champion. The same thing goes for challenging a Champion in an unofficial match. If you win, you don't become Champion."

"I see now. So Elite Four Trainers are like bodyguards. Right?"

"Yeah, in a way. The only way you can officially challenge the Champion is if you go through the Elite Four. On the plus side, if you win your Elite Four matches but lose against the Champion, you don't need to defeat the Elite Four again," she finished up.

"So how are Sylvia and the others?" I asked.

"Sylvia's fine. So are the others. They all miss their big brother," she grinned.

"They still call me that?" I asked with a sigh.

The blonde nodded. "Sylvia's always asking when we would come to visit you. 'When are we going to visit big brother?' 'Are we going to visit big brother now?' 'Do you think we can go see big brother now?'"

"Ok, now who are you talking about?" asked Ash again.

"Now we're talking about Cynthia's Pokémon teammates. Sylvia is Cynthia's ace Pokémon, a Garchomp," I explained. I took out my PokeDex, punched in a few buttons and handed it to Ash. It showed a picture of a shark like dragon Pokémon.

_"Garchomp, the Mach Pokémon. It is said that when one runs at high speed, its wings create blades of wind that can fell nearby trees,"_ was the description my PokeDEX gave.

"Wow..." breathed Ash.

"Sweet Pokémon, 'ey?" I said, grinning.

"Yeah..." was the response I got. I then plucked my PokeDEX from his hands, and he returned to reality.

"So, what other Pokémon do you have?" Ash asked Cynthia.

"I have a Spiritomb named Yamu, a Togekiss named Koyuki and a Milotic named Shion," replied Cynthia.

"Can you show them to us?" asked Misty.

"How bout later, after we've finished catching up and had tea," I suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea," replied Brock.

"So what have you been up to?" asked Cynthia. I then relayed the past few weeks of activity after meeting Ash. I began at the beginning, in Viridian City.

"He came in carrying his Pikachu, looking like a flock of Sperows had decided to terrorize the both of them. I later found out that it was exactly what had happened to them."

By the time I was finished, dinner had come and gone, and we were on dessert. Then Cynthia told us what she had been doing the past couple of years. Which was digging up ancient legends and civilizations of the past. If there was one thing that she enjoyed just as much as being Champion, my music, battling and something else she wouldn't divulge with us, it was Pokémon Mythology. After she had finished, we had eaten out dessert and it was time for bed.

* * *

(Cue music silence)

I awoke to a licking sensation on my face. I opened my eyes to see that it was Vixey who was the licker.

"What's up?" I whispered.

"Cynthia wants to talk to you," she whispered back. I nodded and quietly got out of bed. I was wearing my silk satin pj's consisting of white unbuttoned shirt and loose, thin white pants. I tip-toed slowly from the room where Ash, Pikachu and Brock were sleeping and followed Vixey down the corridor of the hotel, toward the common room.

The common room was a wide area with a large fire in the middle. There were several tables and many chairs surrounding it. I saw Cynthia and Chrono sitting on a couch facing a large window that overlooked the tall skyscrapers that populated the beach. I saw that Cynthia wore her pj's too. She was clad in a black, long sleeved silk satin button shirt and loose black pants. I also noticed that the shirt was a little tight across her chest, giving me a fairly good idea of the shape and size her breasts were. Round and DD-cup. I blushed and refocused my thoughts on the city outside. It was still alive with activity, even this late at night, a little past 2 in the morning.

"You wanted me for something Cynth?" I asked with a yawn, calling her by her nickname from her childhood. Cynthia looked over to me, and froze for a moment before blinking and smiling at me, though her cheeks were a little flushed.

"That's right Josh. I wanted to fill you in on the things I couldn't say in front of your new travelling companions," she said, her face now serious and showed no trace of the flush she had seconds ago.

"Yeah, I figured it was something of that kind. They know of my rank, but know nothing of the organization, or that you or I are part of it," I replied as I sat down next to her. I noted that there was a long glass coffee table in front of the couch. "I'll tell them eventually, just not now."

"You think they can handle it?"

I sighed. "Don't know. I think Ash will. Brock, the hopeless romantic, is mature enough to accept what I'll say. Misty though... I'm not sure. But enough about that. What's your report?"

(Cue song Sign - ACC Long Version by Kazuhiro Toyama & Kenichiro Fukui from Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete Reunion Tracks)

"Well, I recently came back from an Organization mission. There's a new criminal group that's on the rise in the world and it was my job to infiltrate the headquarters and find out as much as I could. They call themselves Team Chaos. They're quite secretive and I wasn't able to get much on them at all but I learnt their directive. They all believe Pokémon to be beneath humans and that Pokémon are just slaves for humans." I growled lowly at this. "Yeah, that's just what I thought. I've made my report already to John after managing to escape the compound. He told me that you were on a mission recently, just before I left actually."

I nodded. "That's right. I was checking out a Pokémon cloning facility owned by Team Rocket on New Island. John was nervous on what they were planning to clone. I was expecting something like a super powered Dragonite or something. But they're trying to clone a member of the Sacred Pantheon, specifically Mew."

"But that's almost inconceivable," she gasped. "How the hell did they get a DNA sample?"

"Dunno. We know that there is more than one Mew. Maybe they were able to get a sample by chance or from a fossil. I just know that they are very close to finishing the project. By the sounds of it, it's going to be a completely new Pokémon, man-made from the DNA of Mew, and genetically enhanced. John says that Giovanni isn't breaking any rules with this research, so we have no jurisdiction over him. We'll just have to wait and see," I growled. My face then relaxed and I turned back to Cynthia.

(Cue song Nocturne of Amestris ~Duet~ by Senju Akira from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Original Soundtrack 2)

"So Cynth, what do you think of Ash?"

She grinned. "He kinda reminds me of you when we started out on our Pokémon journey."

"Yeah," I laughed. "I guess that's why I was drawn to him in the first place."

"Do you remember the day when we started out? Right after our birthday?"

"Of course," I smiled as I thought back to that day.

-] Flashback - 15 Years Earlier [-

_I stood impatiently next to Vixey and Chrono, fidgeting and hopping from foot to foot. I had been waiting for this day for my whole life. Now that I was finally 10 years old, I could start my Pokémon journey!_

_Standing next to me was my best friend Cynthia. She too, was starting her travels today with me. She was much calmer than me but her silver eyes shone with just as much excitement as I felt. Next to her, a female Gabite Cynth had named Sylvia, stood calm and ready. At the age of 10, Cynthia's blond hair was already quite lengthy, reaching to her waist. She had a pair of Riolu like hair accessories attached to her hair just above her ears._

_"You ready Cynth?" I asked, grinning like mad. She returned the grin just a fiercely. "You betcha! I'm going to be the Pokémon Champion of Sinnoh! I won't lose to you!"_

_"Same here!" I replied._

_"Quieten down you two!" called a voice. We turned to see an old woman with grey-blind hair and silver eyes. It was Cynthia's grandmother, Professor Carolina._

_"Hey there granny!" I called familiarly to her. In response I got a smack on the upside of my head._

_"How many times must I tell you, DON'T CALL ME THAT!" She then closed her eyes and sighed. "Today you two begin your Pokémon journey. You would pick out your starter Pokémon partners, but since you have already bonded with Pokémon partners, I guess giving you another would be too much for the moment. So instead I will give you your PokeDEX and six Pokeballs each to you." She then handed a black and gold PokeDEX to me and 6 normal Pokeballs. Cynth's PokeDEX was also black and gold._

_"I wish you two luck on your journey," Carolina smiled._

-] End Flashback [-

I sighed in nostalgia. "Yeah... good times," I said.

"Oh!" exclaimed my friend and pulled out a storage cube similar to mine, just a bit smaller. "That reminds me. I ran into Riley-sempai and he had a present to give to us. I was told not to open the case until I met up with you." She typed in a few numbers on the keypad and pressed the green accept button. There was a flash of light and seconds later there was a large black case on the coffee table. I shuffled closer to her so I could see the contents. She paused and looked at me before she opened the case.

Inside were two Pokémon eggs. They both had the same design and the colours were the same; black and blue.

"Wow! Pokémon eggs! I'll take..." I ran my hand over both of them, trying to feel which one felt right. "This one!" I decided, scooping the chosen egg out of the case.

"Great! Then I'll take this one," she said as she removed her own egg.

"Hmm..." I hummed as I studied the pattern and colour on the egg. "There's only one Pokémon egg that has blue and black colouring in this pattern. These are Riolu eggs, aren't they?" I asked in growing excitement.

"Well since it was Riley who gave us the eggs, it's almost certain they are," she replied.

"Really!?" I said in wonder. "You're not screwing with me." She shook her head.

"Yes! Finally I get a Riolu! Yeah!" I cheered. I dragged Cynthia to her feet and began to dance awkwardly with her while one arm had the egg tucked under it. We both laughed loudly for a while. Eventually I sat back down, a little tired. Cynthia sank onto the couch I was on next to me.

"I'm so happy to finally get a Riolu," I grinned as I held up my egg to gaze at it.

"So am I," replied Cynthia. We were silent for a few minutes before I remembered something.

"By the way, I think Ash is the one of prophecy. You know, the one that said a man would unite humans and Pokémon," I said.

"What makes you say that?" the blonde Champion asked me.

"Well he says he saw a giant bird Pokémon fly over the rainbow after a thunderstorm, just before they entered Viridian City. He saw the mural that depicts Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno and Arcanine. You know the one." Cynthia nodded. "Well..."

-] Flashback [-

"_But I did see a flying Pokémon like that one," said Ash as he pointed to the mural above the screen. "It flew right over the rainbow."_

_The professor was looking up as well as it seemed that he also had the same mural. Either that or he hacked into the video security system that showed the mural here and was looking at it in an alternate screen._

"_Don't be silly. You couldn't have seen this Pokémon. Trainers have searched their whole lives and never seen it," said Professor Oak, who obviously didn't believe him._

"_Well it sure looked like it," said Ash as he took another look at the mural._

"_You must've been mistaken," The professor's words were cut short as his doorbell just rang. "Ah there's my pizza, COMING!" the Professor than exited the screen, but he popped back again. "It was very nice talking to you Ash and to you as well Josh. Keep me posted on anything you find out. Good luck you two." He then moved away, but the live feed was still online long enough to tell what pizza the professor had ordered. "Mmmm, anchovies, spinach and pineapple pizza." The feed was then cut._

_I made a retching sound to show my opinion at the professor's choice of toppings, to which Ash laughed a bit._

"_I know what I saw," he said stubbornly._

"_I'm inclined to agree with Sam on this one. It's very unlikely for an Articuno to fly into warm areas like grasslands by choice. Unless…" I broke off as I pulled out my PokeDEX which looked more advanced than the original. (Design is the PokeDEX for the Sinnoh area. Colour scheme is black and gold) I pressed a few buttons and then showed it to Ash. It showed a beautiful large blue bird with ribbon like tail feathers and red eyes. Its body was a sky-blue, growing lighter on its chest and belly. The most distinctive feature were its large wings, which looked like they were made of ice._

"_Is this the Pokémon you saw?" I asked._

_Ash shook his head as soon as I asked the question. I then pressed a few more buttons and again showed it to Ash. This picture showed another large bird Pokémon, however this was more magnificent than Articuno. It was a phoenix-like bird with gold and red being its dominant colours. It had yellow tail-feathers, a white underside, and green feathers at the tip of its wings. Ash nodded his head._

"_Yes, that's the one!"_

"_Wow, you actually saw Ho-Oh!" I exclaimed in wonder._

-] End Flashback [-

"He seemed genuinely stumped on the name Ho-Oh. I'm guessing he had no idea of the significance of seeing the Pokémon God," I finished up.

"I see. If this is truly the case then we need to stay by him. Teach and train him," said Cynthia.

"Way ahead of you. I've already given his Pikachu my Overdrive Treatment. The Pokémon was struck by lightning soon on their journey and it seems that the sudden surge of electricity has unlocked or strengthened his abilities and power. Pikachu has the potential of a fully grown Zapdos in their prime. I've been training Ash in strategy and giving him physical training while Chrono works with Pikachu on speed and agility. He'll be fine under my tutelage but extra help is always appreciated," I explained.

"Of course I'll help," said Cynthia.

I then gave a great big yawn, remembering to cover my mouth half way through. "Hwaaaaaahhhhh, I think I need to get back to sleep. I've still got some time before the Maiden's Peak Valentines performance so I think we'll explore Porta Vista tomorrow. You joining us?"

"I'm sticking with you until I'm needed back at Sinnoh," replied Cynthia as she grasped my arm possessively.

"Cool." I then looked down at the egg in my hands. "If they are Riolu, then would it be beneficial to wrap Aura around them so they know who we are when they hatch?"

"I think so. Master did always say that using Aura to communicate to other Pokémon was always a good thing. But be sure to use healing Aura," warned Cynthia.

I nodded and got up. I was just about to head back to bed when Cynthia pulled me into another hug. This felt very different as I felt her body a lot more strongly than before. Her warmth seeped into me as I embraced her back. "You always did like getting hugged, Cynth," I grinned.

"That goes for you too," said Cynthia back.

I was reluctant to let go, but I knew I should, or it would be weird. I pulled away and, after saying goodnight to my best friend, trailed back down the corridor with Chrono and Vixey, slipped into bed and drifted off to sleep with my Pokémon snuggled up next to me and the new Pokémon egg wrapped up in my arms.

-] Cynthia's POV [-

(Cue song If You Are My Love by Kajiura Yuki from Tsubasa Chronicle Original Soundtrack - Future Soundscape II)

I sighed as I saw my best friend walk away back to his room. When I saw him arrive, and saw his exposed chest underneath his PJ's, I almost fainted from getting a good look at his muscled chest.

"Idiot! Why the hell do you act like one of his fan-girls when you see him like that?" I muttered to myself. "He doesn't need his best friend turning into one of those crazy she-devils." I then sighed again. "Best friend, huh..."

'How long has it been since I've noticed my love for Josh? I forget. It's been so long...' I thought to myself as I walked to my own bed.

]-First POV-[

[Cue song Hawke Family Theme by Inon Zur from Dragon Age II Soundtrack (Signature Edition)]

_I slowly opened my eyes and squinted at the light which seemed to be afternoon light. "Ugh..." I grunted as I got up on to my feet. _

_"You're awake! Thank goodness!"_

_I looked around to try to see anything I recognized but nothing popped into my mind. 'Where... where am I...?' I thought to myself._

_I then looked to the side of me and saw a cute and beautiful Vulpix. She had smooth red-brown fur and her paws were covered in dark brown fur. Her six orange tails were curled up and her brown, pupil-less eyes gazed in worry back at me._

_"You wouldn't move at all. I was really scared for you! Do you have any idea how you ended up unconscious out here?"_

_'I... I was unconscious? What happened...?'_

_"Anyway, I'm Kyuubi. Happy to meet you! And who are you? I don't think I've seen you around before."_

_My mind finally realised that there was a Pokémon who could talk. Quite fluently as well._

_"You can talk?" I asked, talking for the very first time. She looked slightly confused. "Of course I can. Did you hit your head on something by accident?"_

_I shook my head. "No... at least I don't think so. I'm human so it's a little weird that a Pokémon talks to me."_

_"What? You're saying that you're a human?" she said totally confused now. She looked me up and down. "You look like a totally normal Riolu to me!"_

_"Huh? Riolu?" I asked intelligently before bolting over to a rock pool I spotted. I looked into the water and saw my reflection. A blue and black face with big red eyes stared back at me._

_"Ah!" I yelled out as I fell back. "It's... it's true!" I then looked at myself to see powerful arms and legs. I looked behind me to see a black tail._

_"How did this happen?" I asked myself. "I've turned into a Riolu!" I then brought my hand... I mean paw to my face in a thoughtful stance. 'But how did this happen? I don't remember anything...' I thought to myself._

_"You're... a little odd..." said Kyuubi. She looked a little wary of me. "Are you trying to pull a trick on me?"_

_"No way! I'd never do something like that. I'm telling the truth! I was human," I tried to get her to accept this fact._

_"You were?" she asked but still looked a little dubious. "Ok then, how about your name? What's your name?"_

_'My name? That's right, my name is...'_


	15. Chapter 15: Vengeful Sea

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** – Phil Hartman who voiced Jiji in 'Kiki's Delivery Service'  
**Kaze - **Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'  
**Sora - **Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'  
**Shiva - **Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'  
**Hikari - **Hayden Panettiere  
**Baihu - **Paul Mercierwho voiced Bear from '.hack/SIGN'  
**Fenrir - **Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'  
**Bahamut - **Jamie Foxx  
**Ifrit - **Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from 'DragonBall Z', Kuromaru from 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles', and Roronoa Zoro from 'One Piece'  
**Eywa - **Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'

(AN: Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across one. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future.)

(AN: Chrono's voice has changed. See above for details.)

* * *

**Chapter 15: Vengeful Sea**

I opened my eyes to see that I was back in my bed in the hotel. 'The feeling of that dream was the same as that last time, the night after my mission to New Island. Again I feel familiarity with that scene. Especial with that Vulpix, Kyuubi. Why does she seem so familiar?'

I then realised that Vixey and Chrono weren't with me. The egg was still in my arms. I smiled. 'They probably went to talk with Cynthia,' I theorised. So I got out of bed with the egg, changed into my day clothes and walked out of the room.

I entered the common room to see Ash, Brock and Misty talking to each other. Next to them was Cynthia with Vixey and Chrono. The silver and gold Pokémon was in the process of getting a comb down from Cynthia. From the looks of it, Vixey had already received the same treatment.

"Morning guys!" I called over.

"Oh, good morning Josh," Brock replied.

"Hey Josh!" waved Ash.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Vixey.

"Yeah..." I replied, thinking back to the strange dream.

"So what are we doing today?" asked Cynthia.

"Well we can explore Porta Vista today. Tomorrow we'll catch the ferry to Maiden's Peak," I explained.

"But why can't we go now? I want to get my fourth badge soon!" whined Ash.

"The gym badge isn't going anywhere. One more day isn't going to hurt," I replied. "C'mon! Let's go exploring!"

* * *

"So, what's with the eggs?" asked Ash as he looked at the eggs that Cynthia and I carried. We were both streaming trace amounts of healing Aura into the eggs in the hopes of bringing the infantile Pokémon inside closer to us.

"Cynthia acquired them from a good friend in Sinnoh. We think they're Riolu eggs," I replied.

"Riolu?" asked Misty.

"That's right," replied Cynthia before digging out her PokeDEX and showing it to the three kids and Pikachu.

_"Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. When sad or scared, Riolu's Aura becomes stronger as a way of signalling its allies."_

"What's Aura?" asked Ash.

I grinned. "Only the most awesomest energy in the world. Aura is your life force and is inside every living being. What you are able to do with Aura is you have the ability to read the minds and actions of another being. The ability to "sense" other auras and view surroundings even with a blindfold. This also allows users to view through some objects. You can project your aura to create barriers or focus into attacks. It can also be used to transfer aura to others but that method can be fatal to the user unless you use small amounts, and not everything you have. Aura can also be used to heal other beings and is able to do diagnostics to find out what is wrong," I explained.

"That is cool!" said Ash. "Can humans learn how to use Aura?" I nodded.

"In the past, there were once humans that could sense and control this power," explained Cynthia as ancient history was her forte. "These people, known as Aura Guardians, travelled around doing good deeds and passing on their skills to those who also possessed this innate ability. Over a time, these guardians seemed to disappear out of history, but in fact there was one last Aura Guardian. Ten years ago he took on three students. They were Josh, myself and another young man named Riley. We three are legit Aura Guardians."

"Wow! You just keep getting cooler and cooler!" breathed Ash.

"Oi! Remember what I said at Bill's Lighthouse? No fanboying me. Ok?" I said.

"Oh! Right!" Ash nodded.

"So what can you do with this Aura energy?" asked Misty.

In response I gave my egg to Ash, spread my hands out as if I was holding a basketball and focused. Almost instantly a blue and purple ball of swirling energy appeared and grew in size until it was the same size as a bowling ball. The kids looked on in awe.

"This is what I can do. It's the same as the Pokémon move, Aura Sphere, but since I can use Aura, I can do it too." I then gently released the energy and the Aura Sphere slowly disappeared. "However I'm still too slow in creating it so it can't be used as a quick draw. Only as a charge up attack," I added as I took back my egg.

"My speciality in Aura lies with healing," said Cynthia. "Josh and Riley are more all rounders when it comes to Aura abilities. We can use Aura to communicate with Pokémon without the need of an aid. Aura is also used to strengthen our physical abilities. For example, to run faster or jump higher. A recent discovery of the use of Aura is to coat your feet with the energy. Then you walk up the side of a wall or a tree and you stick to the surface."

"Bout two years ago I modded that exercise to walk on water," I mentioned.

"Really? You'll have to teach me later," replied Cynthia.

"Man! I really want to learn how to use Aura!" Ash said, bursting with excitement.

"Maybe later squirt. Right now you need to concentrate on obtaining badges and maturing as a trainer," I said.

Ash paused before nodding. "Right!" He then paused as he looked at the eggs we carried. "So what names are you going to give them?"

"Dunno," I said.

"Me neither," replied Cynthia.

"Hey! Look over there!" Vixey suddenly said, her head pointed at the ocean. We all turned to see what she had noticed in the water.

"Oh wow! It's a Horsea! So cute!" said Misty, and indeed she was right.

_"Horsea, a Dragon Pokémon. In this unique Pokémon species, thousands of eggs hatch every spring, and then the male raises them himself,"_ was the definition as Ash scanned it with his PokeDEX.

"Not often you see a Water Dragon Pokémon out in the wild like this. But it's a pity they only gain the Dragon type when they evolve to a Kingdra," said Cynthia. She then looked closer. "Wait a minute, it seems that the little one is injured." I looked closer as well to see that there were numerous scratches over its body and that it had a black eye.

"And there's no Pokémon Centre around here," said Misty sadly.

"That's not a problem," said Cynthia. "If you can catch it, I can heal it using Aura."

"Good idea Cynth," I congratulated. My attention was then drawn back to the Horsea as it spat black liquid from its mouth and began to draw something in the water. Pretty soon I could make it out. It was a pair of Tentacool and Tentacreul.

"Okay..." I said, committing what I just saw to memory. "Go ahead Misty." However at that point there was a large explosion followed by a blast wave. I looked up to see a large ship with fire and smoke belching from the middle. I thrust my hand into my backpack and removed my Omnicamera and my Tablet. I released the camera and manually controlled the floating sphere with the tablet, also seeing what the camera was seeing on the screen. The footage coming through showed the ship and I saw several sailors jumping off the side of the boat. I then tossed the tablet to Ash and setting my bag down next to Cynthia before withdrawing Shiva's Pokeball and releasing her. She streaked out of the ball and swooped down to land near me. I jumped up on her back and turned to Misty.

"I need your help. Climb aboard!" I called to her. She nodded and cambered up. "Grab a hold of me so you don't fall," I suggested. When she had a good grip I looked down to Shiva.

"We've got some people to save! Fly toward that burning boat there!" I ordered. She complied and we soared over to there.

"Use Ice Beam to create a small floating island near them!" Shiva did so before hovering low.

"Everyone onto the ice now!" I called out. "Misty, use your water Pokémon to speed up the process for the people on the other side." She nodded and released her Pokémon. After about two minutes everyone was safe on the island. "Is everyone here?"

The sailors looked around before nodding.

"Ok then. Shiva. Use Ice Beam to create a pathway from here to the shore, and make sure to make the surface rough so that they won't slip," I said.

"Roger," Shiva replied before she did as I said. The sailors immediately began to run across the walkway of ice and before long, they were safe on land. I touched down next to them. "Nice job Shiva," I said as I recalled her. "And thanks for your help Misty," I thanked the red head as I recalled my Omnicamera to my hand and switched it off.

"No problems Josh," she smiled at me.

I then turned to the sailors. "What happened?"

"I gotta tell the boss," one simply said.

"Very well. Where is your boss?" I asked.

"This way!" he said and began to run toward the rich side of Porta Vista.

* * *

"I'm the boss! Nastina!"

"Yep, she sure is nasty," mumbled Chrono in his usual quiet voice that seemed to only reach his friends ears. Cynthia, Vixey and I smiled softly but said nothing else.

Nastina was a loud old lady with red hair that was bunched into two pigtails. She was obviously rich and loved to pose as she had pretty young men wearing only Speedos around her. Made me want to retch in disgust.

"I understand that you helped save the men on my ship, thank you very much," Nastina said to me. She then began to laugh rather nastily as her man-boy servants posed around her.

"Uhh... you're welcome... I guess," I mumbled the last part.

"You just have to see my new resort!" she screeched at us. Vixey and Chrono whimpered slightly and their ears flattened against their heads from the sound.

Nastina turned to the side where a model of a resort was planned out. "It's not finished yet, but it will be spectacular! The world's biggest luxury resort!" She turned to a window that showed the ocean, and in the distance there was a large structure that was in the process of being built.

"Is that it on the ocean?" asked Misty.

"Yes! That's it! That's Nastina's Paradise! A super luxury hotel! The hotel to end all hotels!"

"I don't think she'll get many customers with that name, don't you think?" whispered Cynthia. I shook my head.

"It will have hundreds of luxurious suites surrounded by the world's most beautiful coral reef." She then growled. "But only if those Tentacool stop interfering with construction!"

"Tentacool?" wondered Misty out loud.

"Because of those Tentacool all the tourists have been staying away from here. I don't even know why such despicable creatures exist!"

My eyes hardened here. Tentacool weren't my favourite Pokémon; in fact they were near the bottom of the rung for me. But I respected Pokémon in all forms and when it came to protecting Pokémon, none weren't good enough for my protection. It seemed that Misty was offended too.

"Did you say despicable!?" she growled out.

"They're disgusting. You can't even eat them! And they're hurting my profits! I was hoping the five of you were willing to take care of my little problem. Do you have the skills to handle a Tentacool extermination project?"

I was in shock. Nastina took this as surprise. "Of course I'll pay you well!" She then gestured to the side and two of her man servants pulled back a curtain to reveal a massive spread of high quality food. Both Ash and Brock 'ohhed' and 'ahhed' at this sight.

"If you succeed you'll get world-class all you can eat for a year," here she gestured to another area and another curtain was drawn back to reveal a painting of a $1,000,000 note. "You'll also gain one million dollars in cash! And vouchers for free stays at the hotel!"

Ash whooped for joy and ran straight at the food but skidded to a stop as the man-boy servants closed the curtains.

"First you have to exterminate the Tentacool!" reminded the old woman. "Every last one! Then I'll pay ya the reward!"

At this point Misty looked ready to blow her stack, but I intervened before she destroyed the whole building.

"I'm sorry Nastina," I said, gaining her attention. "But myself and my companion here," I pointed at Cynthia, who nodded, "are Aura Guardians. We protect Pokémon from hunting and exterminating. Our status as Aura Guardians allow us to arrest people violating any Pokémon protection laws we see. If you don't stop this course of action right now, we will take action."

"But it's the Tentacool who are wreaking havoc for me!" yelled Nastina.

"Well there's probably a very good reason for that. You're destroying their home as you're building the resort. That coral reef is most likely their home. Of course they're going to fight back!" replied Cynthia.

"We'll let you go for now. But if you continue, there will be consequences," I finished up before I walked for the door.

* * *

"So what are we going to do about the nasty old hag?" asked Chrono.

"We'll keep an eye out for trouble while we're here. If she doesn't make her move by the time we leave, I'll notify the police to place an undercover agent in her ranks," I replied.

"Sounds like a good idea," replied Cynthia.

"Doesn't that old woman make you sick?" asked Misty.

"Well she's not really my type but..." began Ash.

"She wants to destroy the Tentacool," explained Misty. She then got all sparkly eyed. "And they're all so cute!"

"Hold you calls Porta Vista, we have a fan-girl in our midst," reported Chrono sarcastically.

"They're cute?" wondered Ash as he checked out they're profile on the PokeDEX.

_"Tentacool, the jellyfish Pokémon. 99% of its body is made up of water."_ Judging by Ash's face, it seemed he didn't think as Misty did. "Ugly!"

"I guess 'ugly' is in the eye of the beholder," said Brock despite the large sweatdrop on the side of his head.

"You think as I do, right?" asked Misty to me.

"Nope. I think they're butt ugly too," I grinned.

"I'm not a fan either," Cynthia smiled apologetically.

"But then why did you defend them?"

"Because I defend Pokémon, no matter the species. It's my job, but above all, it's how I feel," I replied.

"Tentacool are so squishy and nice when you hold them. And they call the pretty jewel on their heads the 'Ruby of the Sea'," added Misty.

"Who calls it that?" asked Chrono, slightly disgusted.

"Well I call it that! It's my name for it!" retorted Misty. At this point we all had sweatdrops.

"It's like you get a different personality when you talk about Water Pokémon," said Ash.

"I don't understand why you can't see their charm. Water Pokémon are so beautiful and have such depth," replied Misty in a daze. "Like that Horsea... It was a talented artist!"

"Art? You mean that ink it spat out of its mouth?" asked Ash.

"I don't know about art, but it definitely was trying to warn us about this problem," I said.

"Speaking of the Horsey, it's right over there," pointed Cynthia. We looked over and saw correctly. Ash and Brock set out to borrow a small blow up pool while Cynthia began to heal the injured Pokémon. It wasn't long before both Pikachu and Horsea were relaxing in the pool, the Water Pokémon completely healed.

"Nice job Cynthia," I smiled at her. She smiled back, blushing slightly. Misty smiled as well and hugged the little Pokémon. However the nice moment was broken quite rudely by an announcement over the city PA.

"Citizens of Porta Vista! Listen up! Effective immediately I am requiting volunteers to exterminate the Tentacool terrorizing our city. I will award $1,000,000 to whoever can exterminate the Tentacool. Isn't Nastina generous!"

"Great! It's the Wicked Witch of Porta Vista again," mumbled Chrono.

"Anyone who wants money, and wants to help the development of our city, come to the Yacht harbour immediately!"

"She expects people to destroy the Tentacool for money?" scoffed Misty disbelievingly.

"Well when you're desperate enough, you'll do anything," replied Cynthia sadly. And she was right, as a large crowd of people ran by us to try and get chosen by Nastina, who had just rolled up in a tank of all things.

"Now who's going to be the one who wins the $1,000,000?" she asked, before a rose suction dart was shot and stuck to the barrel of the tank.

"Who is that?" asked the old woman.

We turned to see a high speed boat approaching us. It was Team Rocket.

*Cue Team Rocket Theme Song*

"Why am I not surprised they are here?" asked Vixey.

"Hey! They've got a lot of spunk!" commented Nastina.

"That's a new definition of spunk," muttered Ash.

"Look at that hair!" said Jessie.

"Disaster!" added James. Their answer was a large shell whizzing past their heads.

"I don't need your beauty tips! I need you to get rid of Tentacool!" roared Nastina.

"It's a very distinctive hairstyle! Just please don't shoot," cowered Jessie.

"You mean di'stink'tive?" grinned Chrono. I snorted with laughter along with Ash, Brock, Misty, Vixey and Cynthia.

"I think we should nip this in the bud before it's too late," I said before I released Sora and jumped onto her back.

"James, I think you should leave this one alone," I called over to the blue haired Team Rocket member.

"Hey! It's Josh," he said.

"Who cares? I want that million dollars and I'm not giving it up just because he asks us to!" growled Jessie.

"Sorry," James called over to me.

"No, I'm sorry," I replied sadly.

"For what?"

"For this. Sora, use Sky Attack." In response, Sora's wings glowed brightly before dozens of energy shots blasted away from Sora, straight towards Team Rocket, who were blown out of the water.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

"Now Sora. I need you to dive into the water and negotiate with the Tentacool. Tell them that, if they promise to leave the people of Porta Vista alone, I will remove the construction currently on top of their homes immediately," I said as I jumped off and landed on the pier. Sora nodded her head before she dived beneath the waves.

After several minutes she resurfaced and nodded her head, indicating that the deal was struck.

"Ok. Eywa! Bahamut! I need your assistance!" I called out as I released my chosen friends. I quickly explained the situation to them and they nodded. They then joined up with Sora, Eywa flying in the air thanks to her psychic power, and assembled in a circle high above the construction site. All three began to glow brightly with blue energy. The space between the Pokémon and the site instantly became heavily distorted; the air rippling with the intense psychic power build-up.

There was a great rumbling sound as slowly, the whole construction site was lifted into the air. The sea water crashed into the void left behind as the huge mass of sand, steel and concrete rose into the air and moved over to a large field behind the city. The whole thing was then gently lowered down onto the ground.

When my friends returned they were all panting hard from the sheer exhaustion. Especially Eywa, since she had done most of the work with her goddess like psychic powers.

"Excellent job guys! You three deserve a long rest. Especially you Eywa," I smiled as I hugged them all before recalling them. Despite her exhaustion, Eywa smiled serenely and returned the hug before returning to her ball. The buttons on the Pokeballs glowed green, signifying that the special ability of my Pokeballs, a healing ability, was activated.

"You can't do this! You can't!" screeched Nastina after getting over her shock.

"Actually, he can," replied Cynthia. "As Aura Guardians, we have the authority to take the Pokémon's side in situations like this, and act on them." At that precise moment, sirens began to wail and the police converged on the area. The chief came forward. "Nastina! You are under arrest for violation of a Pokémon's sanctuary. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you," he said as he handcuffed the old woman. Judging from her yelling as she was pulled away, she had chose to ignore her right.

"Phew! That was a potentially explosive situation that could've blown up if we weren't here to defuse the situation. Nice job on calling the cops Cynthia," I thanked.

"No problems," she smiled at me.

"That was awesome!" said Ash, grinning like mad.

"Yeah!" added Brock, also smiling.

"And looks like you've got a new friend Misty," I said, looking at the Horsea in her arms.

"Oh Yeah! I got Horsea!" she grinned as she gave off the v for victory, just like Ash would.

"Hey! That's my pose!" glared Ash.

"I know, but I've always wanted to try it!" replied Misty.

"Same here. Maybe I should do it next time," wondered Brock.

"Why don't you get your own pose!" growled Ash.

"I think you should be honored that other people want to try out your pose," I said.

"Ahh man!" moaned Ash depressingly.

* * *

AN: I know this chapter is a little short but this episode isn't a favorite of mine.


	16. Chapter 16: Cheering Up a Ghost

**Vixey** - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'  
**Chrono** – Phil Hartman who voiced Jiji in 'Kiki's Delivery Service'  
**Kaze - **Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'  
**Sora - **Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'  
**Shiva - **Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'  
**Hikari - **Hayden Panettiere  
**Baihu - **Paul Mercier who voiced Bear from '.hack/SIGN'  
**Fenrir - **Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'  
**Bahamut - **Jamie Foxx  
**Ifrit - **by Ian Sinclair who voiced the English version of Ginei Morioka from Rosario + Vampire  
**Eywa - **Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'

(AN: Ifrit's voice has changed. Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across one. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future.)

(Chapter AN: All songs in this chapter are the property of those listed. I do not own them in any way. Plus, for the people who are confused at the fact that Valentine's Day is at the end of Summer in this chapter, I'm following the Southern Hemisphere seasons and for us, Valentine's Day is halfway through the final month of Summer. However the Valentine's Concert for other regions will be on days that are far from the original date of the special day but just accept it.)

* * *

**Chapter 16: Cheering Up a Ghost**

(Cue song Chameleon Guy by Taku Iwasaki from Getbackers Original Soundtrack)

"I'm gonna get you this time!" growled Chrono.

"That's what you said last time," grinned Ifrit as Eywa rested her head on his shoulder.

"Why can't you just lose gracefully?" asked Vixey before she slapped her head with one of her tails. "Look who I'm asking!"

"Speak for yourself," laughed Cynthia as she held her Riolu egg in her arms and observed from my side.

"Well too bad but I'm taking this round. Full House!" I said as I placed my cards down; three Jacks and two 10s.

"Someone's confident," said Cynthia. I just grinned at her.

"Damn!" grumbled Chrono as he threw down his three of a kind (9s) from his tails.

Ifrit sighed as he placed his hand down with the cards hidden underneath before grinning and raising his hand, showing his own Full House of three Aces and two Kings.

"Oh snap..." I sighed before glaring at Ifrit.

"Ahem!" coughed Vixey before she placed her hand on the floor of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and ten, all of hearts. "Royal Straight Flush," she grinned.

"Damn!" muttered the Blaziken.

"The fuck? She sweeped us again?!" I whispered in horror.

"And that's nine times in a row!" cheered the red fox Pokémon.

"Yeah, yeah..." Ifrit and I said gloomily.

"I don't care what you say sis, no-one is that lucky!" Chrono growled.

"Don't blame me for your crappy skills," she replied.

"Crappy?!" the fox Pokémon gaped before he took off after a laughing Vixey. "I'll show you 'crappy'!"

We were currently chilling on the port side deck on the ferry heading to Maiden's Peak. So far it had been 10 hours since leaving Porta Vista in the morning. It was now late afternoon and we would be pulling in quite soon.

As Ifrit gathered up the cards and Chrono continued to chase his sister around the place in anger, Misty cried out, "Hey! Look over there!"

We all moved over to the railing to see what she was looking at. It was the large rock jutting out from the cliff. It was Maiden's Peak.

"Nice spotting Misty. This is where we get off. Tomorrow night is the Valentines concert," I said.

"Ohh, it wouldn't matter to me if I never saw land again," moaned Brock in despair. "I just wasted another summer."

"Geez, what's up his keister?" muttered Chrono as Ifrit handed me the two decks of cards. Vixey moved up next to me, and judging from her slightly ruffled fur, it seemed Chrono had caught her. She was sporting a slightly pouty look too. Chrono also had a small smirk in his victory over his sister.

"But we had a whole summer of adventure," replied Ash.

"I don't think that's what he ordered for his summer itinerary," I said.

"For kids, summer means playing on the beach, splashing around and having fun. But for me," moped Brock.

"Here it comes," murmured Vixey.

"Summer means bathing suites! And girls to wear them! Now bikini season is over and I'll have to wait another year to meet a giiiiirrrrrrrlllll!"

"There we go," I grinned, patting his back.

* * *

(Cue song Tsubasa by Kajiura Yuki from Erementar Gerad OST 1)

As we disembarked from the ferry, a PA announcement told us of the Summer End/Valentines festival including the announcement that GOM would be playing tomorrow night. There were posters up everywhere showing my whole team posing with musical notes pasted all around us and the words, 'Guardians of Music', at the bottom with the date and time.

I was now dressed to conceal myself. A spiky black hair wig was over my head to hide my very eye-catching white hair, the most identifying think about me. Nothing could be done about Vixey or Chrono, but luckily they weren't singled out, which was a miracle in itself as they were two of the most recognizable members in my band thanks to their unique colouring.

"Why are you hiding again?" asked Ash.

"Because this concert is publicly advertised and so many people will be coming to see me and my team play, including my fan club. I don't want to be swamped by crazed females, thank you very much!" I replied in a whisper. "Vixey, Chrono, how's it looking?"

"So far so good. I don't see any of the regular crowd. Then again, those fan-girls are devious creatures," reported Chrono.

"Damn right," I muttered.

"Look out! Incoming at 2 o'clock!" Vixey hissed as a blonde girl of 17 walked over to us with an inquisitive look on her face as she eyed Vixey and Chrono. She carried a plushy toy of me in her arms and it was squished quite tightly against her chest, which was a nice D-cup rack. Now normally I would be very aroused at the sight of an attractive woman pressing a plushy of me against her wonderful boobs. But as she stopped in front of us, a sudden chill washed over me as I recognised her.

'Shit! It's Ina!' I cursed as she smiled at me and my Ninetails Pokémon.

"Hi there! I love how you dyed the fur on your Ninetails Pokémon. They're the most well done Vixey and Chrono I've ever seen before. How did you do it?" she asked sweetly.

"Uhh…" I began, caught off guard at this question. Thankfully Brock came to the rescue, albeit accidentally.

"My dearest! Your beauty outshines the sun herself. What say you and I spend the last days of Summer together?" he asked in his usual Romeo style.

"No way!" she roared in response before clubbing the poor guy over the head, downing him to the ground in an undignified heap. "My love is for only one man. My soul mate! Josh Kitsuné, the lead singer from Guardians of Music!" she gushed with stars in her eyes.

I flinched, which was not lost on everyone except for Brock and Ina, who were too busy to notice. She then snapped out of it and looked critically at me. I began to sweat, readying myself to bolt if my cover was blown.

"You…" she began and I used every ounce of willpower to change my face to a slightly confused look.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Your Ninetails may be the best Vixey and Chrono cosplay I've ever seen, but you're lacking. You have the eye colour right but your hair is all wrong. Josh has white hair, not black."

I was frozen for a few seconds before I made a sheepish look. "Oh, how stupid of me. I'll bleach it as soon as I get a chance to," I replied.

"See that you do. You have the potential to be a good Josh cosplayer yourself. Well, I'm off. I hope we meet again," she smiled before she bounced off into the crowd. However before she was out of sight, she stopped and came back to us.

'Crap!' I began to sweat as she looked at me again.

"By the way, what's your name? I'm Ina," here she held out her hand. I quickly shook it gently, not wanting to hesitate and make her suspicious.

"I'm Arashi," I replied before looking at my partners. "This is Sophie and Hiro."

"Nice to meet you three! Well, see ya!" Ina replied before she left, this time for good.

As soon as she was out of site, I lost the strength to stay standing and sank to the ground. "That… was too close guys," I said to my partners.

"For sure," Vixey agreed in a very soft voice.

"I thought she had guessed who you really were," Chrono added in the same quiet voice Vixey was using. "Nice thinking on the fake names there, boss."

"Who was that?" Misty asked as she offered her hand to me. I accepted it and she heaved me to my feet, which were still a little weak from the close call.

"That was Ina. She's one of the more extreme fan-girls that's part of the club. You know, the type that most likely has photos and posters of me covering her bedroom walls and merchandise of me littering every flat surface in her den," I shivered. "Let's keep moving. I don't want to be caught out again."

"You sure she's like that? She seemed quite nice to me," Ash asked.

"If I'm not the topic of discussion. When I'm involved, the shit hits the fan for me and if I can, I get the hell away as fast as I can, usually aura enhanced to outrun them," I replied.

"But why would you hate the attention that beautiful woman has for you?" Brock asked.

"Because I prefer the company of women who don't worship me as their object of their desires. That's Gary and his cheerleaders. While I wouldn't mind several women all to myself, I would prefer them to be real and not after me just for my looks or status or money. That's just who I am," I explained.

There was silence as we continued to walk. I didn't notice, but Cynthia and Vixey glanced at each other significantly in this time.

"Well the festival looks like fun," Misty finally broke the conversation silence.

"Oh for sure," I replied, sort of glad to be on another subject. "When I was here five years ago I had a blast."

"This is my first time here," said Cynthia.

"I'll ride the Ferris Wheel all alone," moaned Brock. I turned around to tell him to stop being such an emo when I spotted a young woman on a deserted pier. By the sound of it, Brock had noticed too.

The woman had long lavender hair, fair skin, a white dress on with a necklace of large blue beads around her neck. A deep pink headband was over her forehead and a red flower was placed in her hair, just above her left ear.

"Whoa! What a knockout!" blurted out Brock before he was trampled by a crowd of tourists, but my eyes narrowed as I kept looking. The woman looked at me before her form faded and the form of a Gastly appeared for a moment before that too faded from view.

"So, that scamming little Gastly's still here too," I smiled nostalgically.

"Huh? She's gone?" asked Brock as he pulled himself off the ground to look at the pier again.

"It's not a real girl. Just a Gastly doing the yearly festival prank is all," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"Five years ago I was scammed by an old lady selling 'special seals'. In the ensuing chase she revealed herself to be a Gastly. But not before she put on that form of a young beautiful woman with lavender hair," I said. "However after trapping her in a psychic field thanks to Eywa, I was able to talk to her and find out why the Gastly did such things. She wants to keep the legend of the Maiden's Peak alive and so every year at the festival, she changes into the girl from the legend. She also makes a tidy profit at the end of each festival to any male foolish enough to believe the disguised Gastly's stories."

"What's the legend about?" asked Misty who had heard my explanation on the Gastly, along with Ash and Cynthia. I told the story as we walked into the town and through the festival.

"Well, 2000 years ago, a war was taking place and soldiers were being shipped overseas from Kanto to the battlefield. A maiden was in love with one of the soldiers who was being sent to war. She swore to wait on the cliff until her love returned, but he never did. According to legend, she died while standing there, and her body became part of the cliff itself. Her petrified body became a monument, and the location was named for the legend," I explained as we walked past several stalls.

"Oh how romantic!" sighed Misty. Chrono rolled his eyes and was going to say something, but was cut off from a glare from Vixey.

"Nowadays, a festival is held here at the end of the summer. Visitors honour the statue of the maiden, and at the end of the festival, people will release small boats with paper lanterns into the water. These boats are meant to help spirits find their way home, in hopes that the spirit of the maiden's lover will one day be returned to her. Incidentally, the date of Valentine's Day is part of the three day festival. We're in the second day of the festivities," I finished up.

"Hey you there!" came a voice from behind me and I looked around to see a small old woman with long, light grey hair and wore a purple witch like gown. She also held a wooden staff on one hand.

"Hello there Gastly," I replied, grinning.

"Oh ho! You remember me?" she asked.

"Of course I remember you. How could I forget the mad chase you led me on through the entire area. How's business been?" I asked.

"Doing good so far. Scared a few tourists last night," she cackled.

"Good for you," I smiled. "These are my friends; Ash, Cynthia, Brock and Misty," I introduced.

"Hello kids!" she greeted.

"Hi," they replied.

"So what's up? I ain't buying anything from you," I asked.

The old woman shook her head. "I actually want you to meet someone," she said before she turned around and began to walk away, turning around once to beckon with a crocked finger at us.

"Uh huh…" I replied warely before we followed after her.

By the time we reached the place Gastly was taking us, the sun was already setting on the horizon. It was Maiden's Peak. The sun bathed the rock in a brilliant orange glow. It was a beautiful sight.

"So who did you want us to meet?" I asked.

"Just a sec," she replied before looking at the monument. "Samara! Samara, come on out!"

(Cue song Stories to Tell by Tsuneo Imahori from Trigun - the first donuts)

A faint glow emanated from the rock and a see through image of the lavender haired woman stepped out of the rock and floated down to stand next to Gastly.

"Oh my love! I have travelled the world to find you and here at long last I meet you. Your beauty is unique, dazzling! Let us end this summer with a blossoming love!" cried out Brock as he jumped toward the woman, only to fall straight through.

"Ouch," I cringed as Brock landed on his face. I then looked at the newcomer. "So this is the spirit of Maiden's Rock," I said.

The maiden turned to Gastly, who was still in the form of the old woman. "Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"Josh here is a good person. It's ok," Gastly encouraged.

The ghost nodded before looking at me. "Hello there. I am Samara, the maiden from the legend," she introduced.

"Josh Kitsuné, S-ranked Pokémon Master and Aura Guardian," I replied, deciding to reveal both of my titles to her.

"An Aura Guardian?" she looked surprised.

"That's right. So am I," confirmed Cynthia. "My name is Cynthia, A-ranked Pokémon Mistress."

"So what's this all about Gastly?" I asked.

"Well Samara has been feeling very lonely for the past 1000 years and she desperately wants to experience the festival as if she were alive once again. But in order to do so, she needs to possess someone," Gastly explained.

I blinked. "Well that was very straight forward."

"I understand if you can't help me. Not very many people will willingly give up their body for a day," Samara said sadly but trying to put up a brave front.

"Well I'd love to help you, but I'm a guy. Wouldn't you be better off inhabiting a female?" I asked.

"I'll do it," Cynthia instantly spoke up.

I looked at her. "Are you sure?" I asked.

"Of course. We can't just leave Samara alone. I'm willing to give her a day of fun and companionship. We can do this tomorrow and she can enjoy the Valentine's day concert," explained the blonde.

I smiled. "Very well. This is your choice." I then turned to Samara. "Will there be any side effects?"

"She won't remember anything that happens while I'm inside her. That's all," the glowing spectre replied.

"Well?" I asked Cynthia, who simply nodded.

"Ok. We'll come back tomorrow morning," I said to Samara, who nodded, a large happy smile gracing her face.

"By the way, why are you wearing a wig?" Gastly asked.

"Oh this?" I asked as I removed the wig and shook my head so my hair realigned into its usual spikiness. "I'm just hiding from my fan-girls, that's all."

"I see..." Gastly replied, a little confused.

"Trust me, you need to have them to understand," I explained as I noticed her confusion. "Ok then, see ya tomorrow," I waved as I placed the wig back on and we walked off to find ourselves the Pokémon Centre to stay for the night.

* * *

(Cue song Osanpo desu by Kurihara Masaki from Azumanga Daioh Original Soundtrack)

We appeared at 8:30 am at the landmark. We had sealed the eggs away for the day as we were quite sure that they were far from hatching. "Samara?" I called out, looking around for some sign for the ghost. It was just Cynthia, Vixey, Chrono and I. Ash, Brock and Misty had left to enjoy the festival and would meet up later for the concert.

"Over here!" spoke the voice I heard yesterday and we looked over to see the maiden float over to stand next to us.

"You ready?" I asked her. She nodded. I turned to Cynthia. "And you?" She also nodded.

"Then go for it," I said, before standing back to watch.

Samara glided into Cynthia, her eyes closed and she collapsed onto the ground. After a few moments Cynthia opened her eyes and stood up, but her whole presence was different. Her mannerism, her movements. They were completely different.

"Samara?" I asked.

"Yes, it's me Josh," she replied, even the way she spoke was different. But it was still Cynthia's voice.

"Is Cynthia in there?" I asked.

"Of course. Her spirit is sleeping inside while I'm in control," Samara explained.

"Ok then. Well, let's go have some fun!" I said.

"Hold on a moment. I have to say that I'm not a fan of wearing black. Do you think we can go buy some different clothes first?" she asked.

"Sure thing. I take it white is more your thing?" I asked.

"Indeed," she replied.

"Well then," I said as I offered her an arm. She smiled and linked her own around mine. "Let's go jazz you up for the day."

* * *

(Cue song Holiday by Taroma Koshida from Gran Turismo 5 Original Game Soundtrack)

"You done yet?" I asked as I waited outside the changing room.

"Almost," replied Cynthia's voice, but I knew it was Samara who was really replying. I took this time to load a blank disk into my Omnicamera.

After a few more moments the curtains pushed back and I blinked a few times at what I saw. The woman in front of me now wore no black to speak of. She wore a white t-shirt with a tan leather bomber style jacket over the top, white loose skirt that ended at her knees and brown knee high boots. Her head was covered by a white lose knitted slouchy beret tam hat with a red flower set on the side of it. She had also brushed her blonde hair into two long bangs framing her face and showing both of her grey eyes. And her usual Lucario hair accessories were gone. In a word? She looked...

"Odd," I said.

She frowned. I quickly waved my hands in front of me. "No, no! That's not what I meant. It's just that I've known Cynthia since forever, and she's never worn white or that style of clothing. It's always been black with pants or, in recent times, stockings and pencil skirt. So it's a little odd seeing her in white now with a loose dress. But if I ignore all my memories of her now, then I think you look very beautiful," I explained.

"That's right!" said Vixey with Chrono nodding.

"Oh, I see. Well thank you," Samara replied. She peered at me. "I guess you're going to keep your black haired wig on?"

"Unless you want our day to be constantly on the run from my fan-girls, then yeah," I replied.

"That would be a bit of a downer for the day. Well then, what shall we do first?" she asked.

"Well let's go outside and see what takes our fancy," I said as I offered my arm, which she linked her own around and we walked out of the store, paying for the purchases as we left.

From there we visited all the different stalls. There were traditional ones like Face painting and cotton candy stalls. At one time we passed a slushy stall and left slurping identical raspberry slushies.

For lunch we had a burger at the Cahoola Meats stall. Then we had some fun on a few rides, Samara won a white Ninetails plushy at a game where you had to knock the toy down by throwing balls at it, bought ice cream, rode the Ferris Wheel and had a great time. Every now and then I recognised one of my fan-girls and it took most of my willpower not to scream like a school girl and bolt from the scene.

As the afternoon was getting by, we came by a familiar, at least to me, stall, staffed by a familiar friend.

"Hey there and welcome to the GOM stall," called out Suki as she spotted us. She noticed Vixey and Chrono beside me and her eyes widened before she looked around.

"Good to see you Josh," she added in a much softer voice. "Tej and I have seen much of the fan-club wandering around. They seem to be trying to actively find you."

"I know. I ran into Ina yesterday and it was a close call to be sure. She thought I was a cosplayer. Thanks for looking out for them," I replied.

"Cynthia? That you?" asked Suki.

"Uhh..." began Samara as she looked to me. I nodded. "Y-yes! It's me! I thought I would put on a disguise as well," she replied.

"Well you did a good job! I almost didn't know it was you," Suki smiled.

"So how's the business Suki?" I asked.

"It's doing well. At the moment the boys are getting themselves and me something to eat and drink. I'm manning the store till they get back. So far sales are good and we've well broken even the past two days and today," Suki reported.

I looked around at all the GOM merchandise. There were mugs, t-shirts, scarfs, autographed pictures, plushy toys and other objects all with the band's logo and pictures of the band printed over them. Some only had one of us on there. And of course there were the CDs of all the albums my group had so far created. GOM music played softly over the speakers that were hung up at the corners of the stall.

"From the looks of things it seems that Eywa, Vixey and myself are still the most popular," I mentioned as I looked at the mentioned merchandise and saw that they were almost sold out.

"Yep! That's for sure," replied Suki.

"Well I think it's time I go set up the stage and instruments," I said.

"Ok then. See ya at the concert!" the young woman waved as we exited the stall.

"So, you play in a band?" asked Samara.

"Yeah. Myself and my Pokémon teammates sing and play instruments. We're the first fully functioning Pokémon band in the world," I replied.

"Wow! That's cool," the blonde woman replied.

"It is. Tonight's Valentine's performance is going to be good."

"So, you're going to be playing love songs?" Samara asked.

"Both positive and negative love songs, yeah," I replied.

"Negative?"

"Yeah. I think it's unfair that only positive love songs are sung on this day. What about the people who've had their hearts recently broken? Or rejected? Or who are alone? I want to play for them as well," I explained.

Samara nodded. "I think that's nice that you think about the people on the other side of the spectrum," she smiled.

"Thanks. Well, I got to go set up. You feel like watching?" I asked. She nodded. "I've never seen a band set up before," she said.

* * *

(Cue music silence)

After an hour of building the stage, positioning the lighting and setting up the instruments, the stage was ready. Meanwhile a large crowd of people had gathered in front, with all the hardcore girls of my fan-club, 50+ strong, at the front. And finally there was a camera crew for Channel 9 off to the side, setting up cameras for the show. I had a long standing relationship with Channel 9 as they either taped my shows for later viewing on the TV or broadcasted my concerts live.

I was backstage with my team, getting ready mentally when Tej and Suki appeared. I had packed my black wig and donned a pair of black loose jeans held up by a black belt, dark grey t-shirt and a black leather open jacket over the top. Eywa was the only one also wearing human clothes; tight blue jeans and a white spaghetti string top with the chest horn poking through a hole in the front.

"Hey man," I greeted as I bumped fists with my friend.

"Whuz up dawg," he grinned. "Your new friends are out front."

"Cool," I replied as I took a deep breath. I then turned my Omnicamera on and released it. "Showtime." I then stepped up onto the stage with my team, and was greeted by a massive cheer. Chrono went to the drum kit, Ifrit to the keyboard, Sora to the bass guitar, Eywa using her powerful Psychic move to ready all miscellaneous instruments in the first song, Hikari and Shiva on back up and Vixey on the main mic. I picked up a spare mic and addressed the crowd.

"Good evening Ladies, Gentleman and Pokémon of all types! For those of you who are not local, welcome to Maiden's Peak. This is the Valentines Concert by the Guardians of Music!"

There was another large cheer.

"Tonight we'll start off with a song called Lights Out, sung by Vixey and myself. Enjoy!" I then nodded to my team to begin.

[Cue song Lights Out (feat. Far East Movement) by Natalia Kills]

('singing' = Vixey, **'Singing'** = Me)

I can see you in the dark  
I see you hi-hi-hiding away  
I can feel you in the dark mist  
I know the little games you play

I can read your dirty mind  
Thinking you got shit, won't fly with me  
Boy I'm on ya like a polygraph  
Love too hard still  
This is what I see

I know you when you can't lie  
No baby you can't lie  
You run but you can't hide  
I see you when you're pulling  
The wool over my eyes  
The wool over my eyes

**LIGHTS OUT!**

Boy I got a PhD  
I got a masters in boy-ology  
My sidekick psychi call her  
What you wanna, but more  
I'm on ya  
Made you think that she's the one  
And she'll wake up and then your gone  
You got the matrix in your head  
Run it, run over, gather up, play it

But I know you when you can't lie  
No baby you can't lie  
You run but you can't hide  
I see you when you're pulling  
The wool over my eyes  
The wool over my eyes

**LIGHTS OUT!**

**Guardians of Music!  
Hide and seek  
Made you peek  
Put you to sleep, like Quashi  
Wrapped by tie around your neck  
That's what I call a freak on a leash  
Help yourself, grab my belt  
Torn my pants, straight to hell  
Oh my god Vixey kills  
This must be how heaven feels  
**  
I know you when you can't lie  
No baby you can't lie  
You run but you can't hide  
I see you when you're pulling  
The wool over my eyes  
The wool over my eyes

**LIGHTS OUT!**

The song continued for a few moments after Vixey stopped singing, but when the music stopped, the reaction was good. Everyone cheered loudly and I smiled.

"Give it up for Vixey!" I called out, cueing a second round of applause for Vixey. She closed her eyes and smiled widely before I spoke again.

"The next song is called Fade Into Darkness!" I then took to a second keyboard next to Ifrit.

[Cue song Fade Into Darkness (Instrumental Club Mix) by Avicii]

This song received an even louder applause than the first song. Everyone was getting into the spirit of dancing now. I looked down to see Ash, Brock, Misty, Pikachu, Suki and Samara enjoying themselves.

"Thank you! Thank you! We now have a different type of love song. This is Set Fire To The Rain, sung by Sora!"

[Cue song Set Fire to the Rain (Thomas Gold Remix) by Adele]

I let it fall, my heart,  
And as it fell you rose to claim it  
It was dark and I was over  
Until you kissed my lips and you saved me

My hands, they're strong  
But my knees were far too weak,  
To stand in your arms  
Without falling to your feet

But there's a side to you  
That I never knew, never knew.  
All the things you'd say  
They were never true, never true,  
And the games you play  
You would always win, always win.

But I set fire to the rain,  
Watched it pour as I touched your face,  
Well, it burned while I cried  
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name!

But I set fire to the rain,  
Watched it pour as I touched your face,  
Well, it burned while I cried  
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name!

This song brought a few tears in the crowd, but still received a thundering applause. As some of the girls and guys wiped their tears away, I announced the next song.

"The fourth song performed tonight is about a woman who would do anything for the one she loves. This is Songbird sung by Vixey, Eywa and Hikari." I took up an electric guitar and the three female singers placed themselves at the main mic. Sora went to her bass guitar and Fenrir manipulated an acoustic guitar with his Psychic.

[Cue song Songbird by Eva Cassidy]

('singing' = Vixey, '**singing**' = all)

For you there'll be no crying  
For yo-**ooooou** the sun will be shining  
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you  
It's all right I know it's right

**And the songbirds keep singing  
Like they know the score**  
**And I love you I love you I love you**  
Like never before

**To you I would give the world  
To you **I'd never be cold  
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you  
It's all right **I know it's right**

And the songbirds keep singing  
Like they know the score  
**And I love you I love you I love you**  
Like never before  
**Like never before  
**Like never before

Despite this song being a simple and slow one, it received the loudest yet applause, indicating a crowd favourite. Also Vixey kept on glancing at me. I had a sense of d_éjà vu._

"Now this next song is on a happier note. This is Stutter sung by Kaze!" I announced before Kaze took up the main mic and waited as I picked up the lead electric guitar, Chrono stayed on drums, Ifrit stayed on keyboard and Sora stayed on bass.

[Cue song Stutter by Maroon 5]

I really, I really, whoa  
I really need to know  
I really, I really, whoa  
Or else, ya gotta let me go, oh  
I really, I really

This time I really need to do things right  
Shivers that ya give me keep me freezing all night  
You make me shudder, oooh yeah  
I can't believe it, I'm not myself,  
Suddenly I'm thinkin' about no one else  
You make me shudder

Oh I really need to know  
Or else you gotta let me go

You're just a fantasy girl  
It's an impossible world  
All I want is to be with you always  
I give you everything  
Pay some attention to me  
All I want is just you and me always  
Give me affection  
I need your perfection  
Cause you feel so good  
You make me stutter, stutter

If I could touch you, I'd never let go  
Now ya got me screaming and I cannot shut up, shut up, yeah  
Now I am lying on the bedroom floor  
Barely even speaking and I cannot get up  
Ohh I really, I really, I really need to know  
Or else you gotta let me go, ooh

You're just a fantasy girl  
It's an impossible world  
All I want is to be with you always  
I give you everything  
Pay some attention to me  
All I want is just you and me always  
Give me affection  
I need your perfection  
Cause you feel so good  
You make me stutter, stutter, stutter

You knock me down, I can't get up, I'm stuck  
Gotta stop shaking me up  
I can't eat, can't sleep, can't think,  
Sinking under, I'm sinking under

You're just a fantasy girl  
It's an impossible world  
All I want is to be with you always  
I give you everything  
Pay some attention to me  
All I want is just you and me always

You're just a fantasy girl  
It's an impossible world  
All I want is to be with you always  
Give me affection, I need your perfection  
Cause it feels so good you make me stutter  
You make me stutter  
You make me stutter

This song got a good reception. The crowd was dancing and all my fan-girls were screaming the usual things fan-girls scream at their object of their desires.

"Ok! How is everyone doing?!" I called out. The resulting cheer probably could have been heard back at Vermilion City. "Very good! The next song in tonight's concert is one that requires you to dance! So I want to see you shake your bodies as I sing this next song with Ifrit. This is DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love!" Since Ifrit was required to sing in this song, Eywa took over for her partner on the keyboard.

[Cue song DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love by Usher. Danced like in the music video. Ifrit and Eywa dance along with me in the chorus]

('singing' = Myself, '_singing_' = Ifrit, **'singing'** = both)

_Big Fox_ (yeah man)  
So we back in the club  
Get that bodies rockin from **side to side (side to side)  
**Thank God the week is done  
I feel like a zombie gone **back to life (back to life)**  
**Hands up**, and suddenly we all got our **hands up  
No control of my body  
**Ain't I seen you before?  
I think I remember those **eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes**

Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again  
Yeah, baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again  
**So dance, dance, like it's the last, last night of your life, life  
Gonna get you right**  
Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again

Keep downing drinks like this  
Not tomorrow that just right **now, now, now, now, now, now**  
Gonna set the roof on fire  
Gonna burn this whole place right **down, down, down, down, down, down**  
**Hands up**, when the music drops  
We both put our **hands up**  
**Put your hands on my body**  
Swear I seen you before  
I think I remember those **eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes**

Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again  
Yeah, baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again  
**So dance, dance, like it's the last, last night of your life, life  
Gonna get you right**  
Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again

_Big Fox, don't lie  
Hear no evil, or speak no evil, or see no evil  
Get it, baby, hope you catch it like T.O., that's how we roll  
My life is a movie, and you just Tivo_

_Honey got me swishin' like a dreadlock  
She don't wrestle, but I got her in a headlock  
Yabba dabba do, make her bed rock  
Mami on fire, pss, red hot_

_Bada bing, bada boom  
Mr. Worldwide as I step in the room  
I'm a hustler, baby, but that you knew  
And tonight it's just me and you_

Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again  
Yeah, baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love, falling in love!  
**So dance, dance, like it's the last, last night of your life, life  
Gonna get you right**  
Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again  
Yeah, baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again  
**So dance, dance, like it's the last, last night of your life, life  
Gonna get you right**  
Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again

This song really got the crowd jumping up and down in time to the beat and they loved it. Everyone got into the mood of that song, with girls and guys grinding and dancing against each other. Poor Brock still got no action as there wasn't any hot women that wasn't taken in that dance.

"Good to see you all getting into that song! Our seventh song is a slow couples dance. So everyone pair up and dance to The Lady In Red, sung by Baihu with Fenrir, Kaze and Myself as background singers!"

[Cue song The Lady In Red by Chris de Burgh]

I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight  
I've never seen you shine so bright  
I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance  
They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance

I have never seen that dress you're wearing  
Or the highlights in your head that catch your eyes I have been blind

The lady in red is dancing with me cheek to cheek  
There's nobody here, it's just you and me, It's where I wanna be  
But I hardly know this beauty by my side  
I'll never forget, the way you look tonight

I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight  
I've never seen you shine so bright you were amazing  
I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side  
And when you turned to me and smiled, It took my breath away  
I have never had such a feeling  
Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight

The lady in red is dancing with me cheek to cheek  
There's nobody here, it's just you and me, It's where I wanna be  
But I hardly know this beauty by my side  
I'll never forget, the way you look tonight  
I never will forget, the way you look tonight  
The lady in red  
The lady in red  
The lady in red  
My lady in red (I love you)

This was a nice song that had many couples, new and old, dancing with each other slowly, looking into each other's eyes. Several of the couples kissed at the end of the song, making me smile at the fact that I and my team could create the right atmosphere for something like this.

"That was The Lady In Red, sung by Baihu. Next up is Only Love, sung by myself, Fenrir and Kaze!"

[Cue song Only Love by Ben Howard]

('singing' = me, '**Singing**' all)

Darling you're with me, always around me.  
**Only love, only love.**  
Darling I feel you, under my body.  
**Only love, only love.**  
Give me shelter, or show me heart  
**Come on love, Come on love.**  
Watch me fall apart, watch me fall apart.

**And I'll be yours to keep.  
A wind in the shadow, a whale song in the deep.  
A wind in the shadow, a whale song in the deep.  
**

Darling you're with me, always around me.  
**Only love, only love.**  
Darling I feel you, under my body.  
**Only love, only love.  
**Give me shelter, or show me heart  
**Come on love, Come on love.  
**Watch me fall apart, watch me fall apart.

**And I'll be yours to keep.  
A wind in the shadow, a whale song in the deep.  
A wind in the shadow, a whale song.**

Darling you're with me, always around me.  
**Only love, only love.**  
Darling I feel you, under my body.  
**Only love, only love.  
**Give me shelter, or show me heart  
**Come on love, Come on love.**  
Watch me fall apart, watch me fall apart.

**Watch me fall apart, watch me fall apart,**watch me fall apart.

**Only love love love, Only love love love, Only love love love.  
**Girl show me heart.  
**Come on love love love, Come on love love love, Come on love love love.  
**Watch me fall apart.  
**Come on love love love, Come on love love love, Come on love love love.  
**Girl show me heart.  
**Show me love love love, Show me love love love, Show me love love love.**

Darling I feel you under my body.  
Darling you're with me forever and always.  
Give me shelter or show me heart.  
And watch me fall apart, watch me fall apart.

Throughout this song we were all swaying in time to the beat as well as tapping our feet. All in all, everyone liked it.

"Sadly this concert is almost over," I said, which was responded with a lot of Aww's. "However there is one last song to send you all on your way. This is Lady (Hear Me Tonight), sung by Fenrir!" I then picked up a Spanish Guitar.

[Cue song Lady (Hear Me Tonight) by Modjo]

(AN: I won't bother with the lyrics to this one as they're quite easy to understand.)

This song received the loudest applause, but that was because the concert was over. I waited until the large and loud applause began to drop before speaking again.

"Thank you Maiden's Peak! Give a final round of applause to Sora who was on bass, Chrono on drums, Ifrit on keyboard, Bahamut on secondary guitar, Eywa playing the extra instruments, Baihu, Fenrir, Hikari, Kaze, Shiva, Vixey and of course, myself. Special thanks to Tej for ticket sales, Jimmy for sound mixing, and Suki for help in advertising. This has been Guardians of Music playing for you today. All songs played today will be available to buy on CD or Mp3 format downloaded off the net later on this year. Keep an eye on TV and radio ads for the release date for our newest album, 'GOM: My Kanto Valentine'. We hope you can make it to the concert in Saffron City in a week's time!"

Afterwards was simply cleaning and packing up with several girls wanting autographs from myself and other members of my team. After an hour of this, everything was packed away. Tej, Suki and Jimmy had returned to the stall after I gave them the newly filled disk from the Omnicamera.

(Cue song Companions by Takanashi Yasuharu from NARUTO Shippuuden Original Soundtrack)

"So, what was your favourite songs guys?" I asked as Vixey, Chrono and I walked over to my friends.

"I liked DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love," Ash replied.

"My favourite was Only Love," said Misty.

"Mine was Stutter," said Brock.

"Well I liked all of them, but I would have to say Songbird was my favourite," said Samara.

"So, did you enjoy yourself?" I asked Samara. The reply was not what I expected. She kissed me. Full on the lips. I froze, trying to tell myself that this was Samara kissing me, not Cynthia. But I couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of Cynthia's lips on mine. Soft and warm.

Samara pulled back, making me blink a few times. "I loved it. Thank you Josh," she bowed to me.

"Heh heh," I laughed nervously. "No problem. I was glad to help. And I'm sure Cynthia is as well. Or will be," I said.

Samara nodded before Cynthia's body began to glow and Samara's spirit separated from Cynthia. The blonde sunk to the ground but I caught her. After a few seconds, Cynthia's grey eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, welcome back!" I smiled before helping her up.

"What happened? I don't remember anything. I remember Samara entering me and feeling very sleepy, and then I'm wakening up here. How strange," Cynthia said.

"Samara had a very good time, that's what happened," I replied as I pointed to the ghost next to her.

She turned and smiled at Samara. "I'm glad you had a good day," she said before she looked down at what she was wearing. "I take it you didn't like black?"

"Sorry, but no," she replied.

Cynthia took another good look before smiling. "I guess white isn't so bad on me."

"Samara!" came a call and we turned to see Gastly in her old lady form. She was grinning widely. "Guess who I found just now!" She turned to look at a second ghost that had followed her. It was a handsome young man, about Samara's age. He had short and spiky brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a brown kimono. His eyes widened when he caught sight of Samara.

"Samara? Is that you my darling?" he spoke, as if he hardly dared to believe she was right in front of him.

"Koede! My dear Koede! Yes! It's me, Samara!" cried out the lavender haired ghost as she ran forward and embraced her lover. There was lots of happy sobbing from the pair. We just smiled before leaving to give them some space. We ended up getting some dinner from one of the stalls before going back to the Pokémon Centre for the night.

* * *

"Well, it's time to head out to Saffron City. Should take us a few days to get there, if there are no interruptions," I said as I held my Riolu egg in my hands once again. We were just about to exit the town when someone called my name. I looked behind us to see that it was Samara and Koede.

"Hey you two! Glad you finally met up with each other after all this time," I smiled.

"I just want to thank you both again for helping me out," Samara said, bowing. She then straightened and looked at Cynthia. "I hope you find the courage soon," she said.

"Huh?" I asked and turned to Cynthia, only to see her blushing. "Hey Cynthia. Courage for what?"

"Ahh... nothing!" she said quickly.

I narrowed my eyes, knowing that she was hiding something.

"Well, we'll let you continue your journey," Koede said before they rose up into the air and disappeared. We all stood there for a moment before Cynthia started to walk again.

"So what did she mean?" I asked Cynthia.

"It's nothing," she replied with the same quickness from before.

"C'mon! You can tell me," I pleaded.

"No, I don't."

"Just give me a hint!"

"No."

"Pretty Please?"

"NO!" BOINK!

"ooooowwwwwwww... my head..."


End file.
